As per the DTF, an association representing teachers of primary and secondary schools, Mansa tops the list of districts with 82% posts vacant, followed by Barnala with 76% vacancies. In Moga, 56 (66.6%) of the 84 positions are vacant. The situation is no better in Sangrur, the home district of chief minister Bhagwant Mann, where 57 out of the 95 posts of principal are vacant.

Statewide, a whopping 44% of the posts of principal need to be filled, the teachers’ front further revealed.

9 blocks have no principal at all

The DTF also made another alarming revelation that nine education blocks — Moonak (Sangrur), Garshankar-2 (Hoshiarpur), Sultanpur and Bhulath (Kapurthala), Saroa (Nawanshahr), Valtoha (Tarn Taran), Shahkot and Noormahal (Jalandhar), and Ajnala-2 (Amritsar), have no principal at all. In Bathinda 82 out of 129, Tarn Taran 51 out of 77, Ludhiana 69 out of 182, Jalandhar 69 out of 159, and Hoshiarpur 56 out of 130 posts of principal are vacant. Patiala, Fatehgarh Sahib, Fazilka, Rupnagar, Faridkot and Pathankot fare comparatively better with fewer vacancies.

DTF president Vikram Dev Singh said, “The shortage of principals is severely impacting the quality of education in Punjab. We demand immediate filling of these vacancies and an end to non-educational duties being assigned to teachers. The government must implement a state-specific education policy that caters to Punjab’s unique needs, instead of relying on the central education framework.”

When contacted, DEO, secondary education, Barnala, Malika Rani said, “We have 47 senior secondary schools in the district, but only 11 positions have been filled. In the absence of principals, the headmasters and senior lecturers are given the responsibility of managing the schools. While they do their best, it is evident that the situation impacts the schools, as they are required to perform duties beyond their designated roles.”

She added, “The impact is clearly visible, and we regularly inform the government about the vacant positions as the data is updated periodically to resolve the matter.”

Sangrur DEO Tarvinder Kaur, said, “The Punjab and Haryana high court had directed that the seniority of lecturers be established to facilitate their promotion to the principal level. Now that the seniority of lecturers has been determined, the issue will be addressed within a month or two.”

On the delay, she said, “No, the process is not being delayed. The government is addressing the issue on a grievance-based approach and is actively working to resolve it.”

AAP’s ‘education model’ falls flat: Cong

Chandigarh/Ludhiana Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the Punjab assembly, Partap Singh Bajwa, took potshots at the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government led by CM, stating that the government should fill the vacant posts of principal and teachers before sending them abroad to for training. “The standard of education in government schools has deteriorated under this government. Majority of government schools in rural areas lack even basic sanitation facilities. The AAP government needs to set its priorities right. Instead of sending teachers and principals abroad, it should improve basic infrastructure and fill the required vacancies,” Bajwa said. He further said, “This is especially shameful for CM, who often boasts of being the son of a teacher.”

Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) president and Ludhiana MP Amarinder Singh Raja Warring said that AAP’s “education model” inspired by New Delhi has fallen flat. “AAP’s claims of providing world-class education have been completely exposed. The reality is a collapsing education system that has left Punjab’s children without proper guidance and resources,” said Warring.

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Rights panel seeks report

Chandigarh The Punjab State Human Rights Commission on Monday sought a report from the director general school education (DGSE), Punjab, on 44% vacant posts of principal in government senior secondary schools across the state. PSHRC chairman Justice Sant Prakash, who took suo-motu cognisance, and asked the official to submit his report before the next date of hearing on April 9, an official release said here.