Kulwinder Sandhu
Moga, June 15
Even as the state government claims to have improved the education system by setting up smart digital classrooms and libraries, the irony is that most of the higher secondary schools are facing a shortage of principals and lecturers.
More than 50 per cent of the posts of principals and up to 40 per cent of the posts of lecturer have been lying vacant for many years in Moga district. There are 83 senior secondary schools in the district, out of which 44 do not have a regular principal, which reflects the poor state of education in the district.
The development and resource-related works are getting affected in these schools as officiating or caretaker principals are working.
Karamjit Singh Manuke, state president of the Punjab Students Union, said there were several posts of subject teachers, which had been lying vacant for years. Students are not good at languages and science as there are not enough teachers, he said. The authorities must fill these posts as soon as possible, he added.
The basic reason for the shortage of principals is that after 2018, there was no direct recruitment for the posts. In 2020, some eligible lecturers were promoted to the posts but it could not fill the backlog of vacant posts of principals. The promotions also reduced the posts of lecturers. At present,
230 posts of lecturers out
of the total of 581 sanctioned posts are lying vacant. Out of these, 44 lecturers are also working as officiating principals.
There are two such schools in Nihal Singh Wala subdivision where there is no principal and only one lecturer teaching the students. The lone lecturer is playing the role of principal as well as the teacher, while skilled diploma holders are also running in these schools. There is only one physics lecturer in the government senior secondary school at Raonta village. He is also the officiating principal of the school.
Balwinder Singh, a lecturer of physical education at Samadh Bhai village, is working as the officiating principal and also teaching the students.
Education Minister Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer said, “We are working fast to fill the backlog of posts.”
Posts lying vacant
- After 2018, there has been no direct recruitment for the posts of principal
- In 2020, some lecturers were promoted to the post but that could not fill the backlog of vacancies
- The promotions reduced the number of lecturers
No regular principal in 53% Moga government secondary schools
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