Chandigarh- In a significant move to address the shortage of school principals and enhance the quality of education in government schools, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Government of Punjab has increased the promotion quota for school Principals to 75%. This decision will pave the way for the appointment of 500 new principals across the state’s schools.
Under the previous Congress government, the quota for principal promotions was reduced to 50%, leading to a substantial shortage of principals in Punjab’s government schools. This change not only hampered the promotion opportunities for deserving senior educators but also resulted in critical vacancies due to delayed recruitment processes and legal disputes.
Highlighting the failures of the previous government, Punjab’s Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains stated, "In 2018, the Congress government altered the rules, reducing the promotion quota for principals from 75% to 50%. This unjust change deprived teachers of their rightful promotions and left many schools without principals. The 50% direct recruitment quota led to a backlog of appointments caught in legal challenges, further compounding the issue."
Minister Bains announced the Punjab Government’s decision to restore the 75% promotion quota for principals, which will allow a large number of deserving senior teachers to assume leadership roles in schools. He added, "This decision will enable the promotion of approximately 500 new principals across the state, ensuring that our schools have effective leaders to drive educational excellence. It also restores the rights of our educators, which were unjustly taken away by the previous government."
The Minister added that the AAP Government has consistently prioritised improving Punjab’s education system, focusing on empowering teachers and providing quality education to students. This landmark decision underscores the government’s commitment to resolving longstanding challenges in the education sector.