Balwant Garg
Faridkot, December 27
Despite tall claims of the state government of having improved the school education, 189 government schoolteachers and lecturers, who were promoted as principal a month back, are still waiting for new places as school head. While these promoted principals are waiting for new postings since November 29, 549 high and senior secondary schools in the state have vacant posts of principal for the past many months.
Students suffer
The delay in issuing posting orders to the new principals is causing loss of education to students. This is also improper utilisation of sources as a large number of government schools are without principals. Sanjiv Kumar, President, Punjab government school lecturers union
On November 29, the School Education Department had released a list of 189 teachers, who were promoted from the post of lecturer to the principal. The department had asked these promoted teachers to give their consent for joining on the new post of principal to the District Education Officers (DEOs) in their respective areas within three days.
One month has passed since these teachers gave their consent to the DEOs but they have not got the new posting orders. After getting promoted as principal last month, these teachers are eligible for new pay scale.
In Faridkot district, 14 government high schools are without any head teacher or principal for the last many months.
Pardeep Deora, DEO, Faridkot, said the process to give new posting to these promoted principals was underway.
Varinder Kumar Sharma, Director General, School Education, said the posting of the promoted teachers was in the domain of school Education Department and they are working on it.
Sources in the department said the transfer of an assistant director level officer in the department had delayed the release of the list of new posting for these promoted principals.
The assistant director was handling this issue for the last many months and the new person, who had joined in his place, had yet to understand things for proper implementation, said the sources.
Sanjiv Kumar, state president, Punjab Government School Lecturers Union, said the delay in issuing posting orders to the new principals was causing loss of education to students. He said this was also improper utilisation of sources as a large number of government schools were without principals for months altogether.
