Ludhiana: Fill vacant posts of lecturers, principals, say teacher unions
Director general of school education Vinay Bublani says 10,000 vacancies are being filled. The process to appoint principals across the state has been underway, he adds.
Teachers’ associations on Friday urged the education department to immediately fill over 200 vacant lecturer posts and more than 45 principal positions in Ludhiana district.
Pointing out that nearly 800 posts of principal and 4,000 of lecturer had been vacant across the state, the associations also sought promotion of lecturers as principals. “The absence of leadership is negatively impacting the education quality in many schools where one or two teachers are managing the entire institutions,” they stated.
According to Daljit Singh, district president of the Democratic Teachers Front, a lecturer is assigned to schools with over 300 students and physical education lecturers are allotted only if students are 1,500 or more in number. “Such policies discourage parents from enrolling their children in government schools. When parents visit, the first thing they notice is the absence of principals and lecturers,” he said. He added that even bigger institutions, like the senior secondary schools for boys and girls in Machhiwara, remain without principals. Nearby school heads are reluctant to take charge, fearing the increased workload.
Dharamjeet Singh Dhillon, state finance secretary and district president of the Lecturer Cadre Union, highlighted that many teachers hired in 1999 have not been promoted even once. “Without school heads, financial and administrative decisions are delayed. Time-bound promotions are essential for teaching staff, just like for non-teaching staff. If principals are not available, lecturers should be promoted to senior lecturers or vice principals to ensure smooth functioning,” he stressed. He added that schools with over 700 students, such as those in Dehlon and Chonta, are struggling without principals, with a single principal overseeing up to 12 schools.
Director general of school education (DGSE) Vinay Bublani, acknowledging the issue, said 10,000 vacancies were being filled. “The process to appoint principals across the state has been underway,” he added.