‘Ad hoc’ principals appointed DEOs

Amaninder Pal

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 24

The Education Department has appointed seven teachers, who are currently working as principals or on equal posts on an “ad hoc basis”, District Education Officers (DEO) and deputy DEOs.

The orders were issued late last evening as part of the first major reshuffle executed by the department after the Congress government assumed charge in March.

Sources said Parveen Kumar, Subash Mahajan, Paramjit Singh and Gurpreet Kaur have been appointed DEO (Secondary Education) of Fatehgarh Sahib, SAS Nagar, Tarn Taran and Jalandhar, respectively. Gurjot Singh has been appointed DEO (Elementary Education), Ludhiana, and Satpal Singh and Sandeep Nagar have been appointed Deputy DEO (Elementary Education), Jalandhar and Fatehgarh Sahib, respectively.

While Mahajan, Paramjit Singh and Satpal Singh could not be contacted, all others said they had to follow departmental orders and maintained that the department must have decided in the light of court’s direction.

Perusal of the record revealed that in October last year, the teachers were among those 168 vocational principals, who were reverted to master cadre. However, the affected teachers moved the court, which stayed their reversion but allowed them to perform their duties in the office of principal on “ad hoc basis.”

It is due to this status of these teachers that the department had in April issued another letter announcing that such principals should be divested of drawing and disbursement powers as they are working on “ad hoc basis”.

Despite repeated attempts, Secretary to Department of Education G Vajralingam and Director Public Instructions (Secondary Education) SS Khalon didn’t receive calls.

Democratic Teachers Front president Bhupinder Waraich said, “As per norms, the seniormost principals are appointed on these posts. How can principals working on ad hoc basis, and the matter of whose promotion is still sub judice, be appointed on these posts? The department is bending all rules while making new appointments.”