Over 40% senior secondary schools without principal

Over 40 per cent posts of principal in government senior secondary schools of the state are lying vacant, according to a survey carried out by the Democratic Teachers’ Front.

Vikramdev Singh, president of the Democratic Teachers’ Front, sought to know from the government the reason behind the delay in filling the vacant posts.

He said of over 19,000 government schools in the state, 1,927 are senior secondary ones.

As many as 855 senior secondary schools currently do not have a principal, he said, adding that the Malwa region, which sends the maximum number of ministers to the state Cabinet, is the worst hit.

In Sangrur, the home district of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, 60 per cent of the senior secondary schools don’t have a principal. Mansa has 82 per cent vacant posts, followed by Barnala with 76.6 per cent and Bathinda (63.6 per cent), said Vikramdev Singh.

A majority of senior secondary schools in Punjab’s border districts too are functioning without a principal. Gatti Rajo Ki block in Ferozepur district and Ajnala block in Amritsar are prime examples. A similar situation was found in areas bordering Haryana and Himachal Pradesh.

Only one vacancy in Mohali

Meanwhile, Mohali – considered a VIP station – has just one vacancy with 46 of 47 seats already filled. The obvious reason seems to be its location near state capital Chandigarh.

According to Vikramdev Singh, the shortage of principals has stemmed from the policy adopted by the Education Department, which had in 2018, under the previous Congress government, changed recruitment rules.

While 50 per cent of the seats were to be filled through direct recruitment, the rest were to be filled through promotions. Before the new policy came into being, only 25 per cent of the posts were filled through direct recruitment.

“The government has promised to amend promotion rules to fill the vacancies, which has not been done,” Vikramdev Singh said.

Education Minister Harjot Bains said the matter regarding the direct recruitment is pending in the High Court.

Singapore visit for school heads

The state government has decided to send 36 school principals to Singapore for five-day training, said School Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains.

He said 198 principals and education officers had already completed training at Singapore’s Principal Academy as part of the Leadership Development Programme.

The seventh batch of 36 school principals will leave for Singapore in March.

During their stay, they will engage in various workshops, seminars, and hands-on activities that expose them to advanced teaching methodologies and educational practices used in Singapore schools, which are known for their high standards.