140 schools sans principals, headmasters in Ludhiana district

In the absence of designated heads, the drawing and disbursing powers (DDO) have been given to principals of other schools, who hold the additional charge and travel at regular intervals to perform duties and other tasks in the senior secondary schools

Even as the enrolment drive to boost the number of students at government schools has started in full swing, as many as 40 senior secondary and over 100 high schools in the district do not have regular principals and head teachers, posing a host of administrative challenges in their day-to-day functioning.

Even as the enrolment drive to boost the number of students at government schools has started in full swing, as many as 40 senior secondary and over 100 high schools in the district do not have regular principals and head teachers. (HT file photo for representation)

Among the senior secondary schools which have students from classes 6 to 12, GSSS Dehlon has over 1000 students, while GSSS Humbran and GSSS Bhaini Baringa have over 600 students, where no new heads have been appointed after the transfer or retirement of the previous heads in recent years.

The other senior secondary schools which are without principals in recent years include GSSS Pakhowal, GSSS Chakkar, GSSS Malaudh, GSSS Chalar, GSSS Payal and GSSS Halwara.

In the absence of designated heads, the drawing and disbursing powers (DDO) have been given to principals of other schools, who hold the additional charge and travel at regular intervals to perform duties and other tasks in the senior secondary schools.

In the high schools, which have students between class 6 to 10, the senior most teachers at the schools have been given the additional charge.

Before the DDO powers at the schools were handed over to officials at the schools, such schools were unable to utilise any grant issued to them by the government.

A teacher at GSSS Humbran, requesting anonymity, said besides teaching, there are a host of administrative and management-related tasks for which a full-time principal is needed.

She said that schools regularly face logistics-related issues, including the hiring of temporary staff, repair works, addressing the grievances of parents and students. A number of problems that need to be dealt with on priority get delayed, she added.

As the teachers, who hold the additional charge have to perform the duties of the in-charge, the regular classes take a hit which impacts the studies. She added that even as their school has 28 lecturers and teachers, in the absence of a senior, maintaining discipline among the teachers and assigning duties becomes an arduous task.

The charge of Residential Schools for Meritorious students is also held by the principal of GMSS Model Town. Similarly, the post at GSSS Butahari was left vacant after Harjit Singh, who was the principal at the school, joined as District Education Officer in November 2022.

Principals prefer schools in urban areas

A government school principal said that most of the principals prefer schools in urban areas over schools in rural areas, which is the reason why 90 percent of schools with vacant posts are in rural areas.

He added that departmental promotion committee of the government had recently promoted over 180 lecturers due for promotion as principals in November, but they still have not been allotted any stations.

District Education Officer (DEO, Secondary) Harjit Singh said the lecturers who have been promoted as principals have fulfilled the formalities.

He said that the process to allot the stations is still due and will be completed by the department in the coming days.