Kerala gov't changes norms in promotion of HM to principal in aided schools

The government has revised the norms for the promotion of high school headmasters as principals in aided higher secondary schools to rectify a major anomaly relating to teaching duty. As per the existing rules, appointment to principal posts should be carried out among eligible higher secondary senior teachers and headmasters in a 2:1 ratio, as stated in a report by The New Indian Express. 

Wondering why this revised order now? The order revising the promotion norms was issued after headmasters promoted to principal posts abstained from teaching duty on the grounds that their subject was not available in the higher secondary section or they did not have sufficient periods to teach. 
 

New order

As per the new order, HMs can be promoted as principals only if their subject is available in the higher secondary section. The order also states that a headmaster will not be promoted to principal if his or her subject is already being handled by a teacher in the higher secondary section. Additionally, it also prescribes teaching duty of eight periods a week for the principal. 

The Aided Higher Secondary Teachers' Association (AHSTA) had been engaged in a prolonged legal battle challenging the 2:1 ratio for appointment to principal posts. Sharing more details, S Manoj of AHSTA said, "The government was forced to amend the norms relating to principal appointment as a number of headmasters took legal recourse and assumed the principal posts on the supernumerary basis, creating a burden to the exchequer."

Further, he added that only higher secondary teachers should be considered for the principal post. Meanwhile, demands have come up for similar amendments to rules relating to the appointment of principals in government schools as well. Anil M George of the Higher Secondary School Teachers' Association demands that "The HM quota in principal appointment, which was proposed years ago when there weren't sufficient senior higher secondary teachers for the post, should be totally abolished."