Retirement robs 116 PMC schools of principals, TET rule keeps posts vacant

Pune: As many as 116 schools of the 285 run by Pune Municipal Corporation have no principals. Retirement and non-availability of teachers who have cleared the Supreme Court-mandated Teachers Eligibility Test (TET) to take on the responsibility have kept these posts vacant.Such schools amount to 40% of the total number, data given in a reply to queries raised by elected members revealed. Educators and experts observed that the absence of principals is a concern. The post is important not only for academic management but also for administrative purposes. Efforts must be speeded up to fill these posts at the earliest, they added.The process to appoint new heads of schools is under way and the administration is waiting for approval of the new posts, a senior PMC education department official said.Vasundhara Barve, deputy commissioner of PMC’s education department, said, “The Supreme Court has made it mandatory for teachers to clear TET to be promoted as principals. The education department is awaiting the results of the teachers who appeared for this exam. We will complete their appointment process by Sept.”Mahendra Ganpule, former vice president of Maharashtra State Principals’ Federation, said these posts must not be kept vacant for long. “Principals are bridges between govt authorities and the school and their absence will create administrative and academic mismanagement,” he added.Deepali Sardeshmukh, of Maharashtra Rajya Vidyarthi Palak Shikshak Mahasangh, said, taxpayers’ money is used for developing the municipal education system but it appears that the authorities are purposely creating obstacles in this system, so that private schools can gain from the vacuum. Not having heads of schools is one such hurdle, she added.As per the civic officials, the education department also uses corporate social responsibility funds for municipal education.“Schools often make any teacher shoulder the responsibility of a principal’s work in the absence of a full-time head. It adds to mental stress of the teacher working as an ad-hoc head of the school,” a PMC schoolteacher said , adding that the primary academic job is hampered. “The administrative work is adversely affected, as the temporary principal doesn’t have enough experience to deal with admin issues,” he added.Another teacher working in a civic school in the merged areas said the role of principal is more important in these areas as the communication between the school management and PMC is much needed.“Schools added in PMC after the merger of the areas suffer more due to absence of infrastructure. They need additional attention to match the facilities available in the schools in city areas,” he said.Ways to get CSR funds for schools in the fringe areas cannot be explored entirely in the absence of the principal who is a key figure in the communication channel between CSR units, PMC and the school management.98 Marathi-medium institutes without headsAs per the civic data, seven English- and 11 Urdu-medium schools are without principals too. PMC runs 285 schools that provide education in Marathi, English, Urdu and Kannada mediums. Nearly 85,000 students go to these school and are from poor social and financial backgrounds.The civic administration also operates e-learning schools, sports schools, music schools and other facilities.Besides assigning day-to-day duties, overseeing the teaching and non-teaching staff, and supporting professional development, principals, as heads of schools, must manage instructional design, teaching standards, and evaluate earning outcomes of students.They also oversee infrastructural maintenance and implement student welfare initiatives like the midday meals, distribution of books, and school uniform. They implement PMC guidelines and initiatives from the education department, head school management committees and Parent-Teacher Association.