Excelsior Correspondent
Srinagar, Dec 5: Sixty eight Higher Secondary Schools in Kashmir are without principals and three districts are without Chief Education Officers (CEOs), leaving the lower education in the Valley in disarray.
The Director Education, Tariq Ali Mir, told Excelsior that 68 Higher Secondary Schools are without principals in Kashmir.
Higher Secondary Schools that are without heads include Boys Higher Secondary School Tral, Higher Secondary Sathura, Tral, Higher Secondry School Ratnipora, Pulwama, Higher Secondary Luragm, Tral, Girls Higher Secondary School Yaripora, and Higher Secondary School Pahalgam.
A senior official in the Education Department said that some principals are holding charges of two or three schools which has left the educational work in these schools in disarray.
The principals’ vacancies occurred because the Government has delayed the promotion of senior lecturers as Principals. The department in October 2011 elevated some senior lecturers as principals vide Government Order No. 574 Edu. of 2011, but left 65 be from the list. Most of these senior lecturers awaiting promotion are from the 2006 batch.
A senior lecturer awaiting promotion said about 200 posts of Principals are vacant throughout the State which has badly dented the education services.
“Our promotion as principals is lingering since last four years due to the deliberate delay. “We are considered as untouchables. Those from our batch (2006) have been promoted, but injustice is done with us,” the senior lecturer said, fearing reprisals from higher authorities he wished not to be named.
Minister for School Education Tara Chand told Excelsior the process of promotions of lecturers as principals and filling vacant CEO posts is underway.
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