CHANDIGARH, June 30 — At least 36 prestigious government colleges in Punjab have no regular principals. Only 14 of the 48 government colleges have regular principals. This is the state of affairs of the higher education for which the manifestoes of the Akali Dal and the BJP had expressed special commitment . There are 50 posts of principals and one principal is to function as Director Public Instruction, Colleges.

In order to manage these institutions of higher learning, the government has devised a new way. Thirty six senior level lecturers, who should have been promoted otherwise on the basis of merit-cum-seniority, have been posted as ‘‘current duty charge principals’’. This indeed is a unique way to treat outstanding teachers who in their total career have just one promotion of becoming principals. Interestingly, 26 of these current duty charge principals have already retired without becoming heads of the institutions.

What is more, these 36 senior lecturers holding current duty charge are not paid a paisa for this new responsibility. The order clearly mentions, ‘‘it is made clear these current duty charge principals would have no claim to these positions and they shall not have any rumenration for this work’’. For IAS and IPS officers any such assignment naturally brings in rumenration in one form or the other. But not for these ‘‘builders of the nation.’’

Promotions to these posts were held up for long as a writ was pending in the Supreme Court. But this writ was finally decided in September last year. This helped the government clear the case for promotions. one expected that the government would do justice to both, those waiting for promotions and the institutions where adhocism was causing damage.

The Departmental Promotion Committee was first to meet in November last year, but was postponed as records were not ready. Later, Mr G.P.S. Sahi, Principal Secretary ,made some efforts and a meeting was held in December, 1999. But the proceedings could not be confirmed since the Chief Minister, Mr Parkash Singh Badal, wanted to oblige a senior lecturer, Mrs Deepa Pannu. The official sources here said that Mr Badal told his senior staff officers that they should come with her file. Since she had been absent for long years, she could not be promoted, the officers devised a way as per the Chief Minister's instruction and on March 16, 2000, 20 duty charge lecturers, including Mrs Pannu, were appointed as principals. She remained principal of Government College, Mohali, for a fortnight and retired on March 31 last year.