175 posts of lecturer/principal lying vacant in meritorious schools

Nikhila Pant Dhawan

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, May 24

The Society for Promotion of Quality Education for Poor and Meritorious Students of Punjab is finding it hard to fill vacant posts of lecturer and principal in the 10 meritorious schools of the state. Posts of principals have been lying vacant in nine schools.

The maximum number of vacancies, 31, is in the Sangrur school. Apart from the vacant post of principal, seven posts of chemistry lecturers, five of physics lecturer, four each of commerce, mathematics and English, two each of Punjabi, biology and computer are lying vacant in the school.

There are 29 vacancies in the Ferozepur meritorious school, 27 in Gurdaspur, 17 in Bathinda, 16 in Amritsar, 14 each in Ludhiana and Mohali, 13 in Patiala, nine in Talwara and five posts are lying vacant in the Jalandhar meritorious school.

The society has, however, taken note of the vacancies in the schools and has given a chance to teachers working in government schools to apply against these vacant posts if they wish to work on deputation.

As per the rules and regulations for this offer, the deputation period will be for three years only, lecturers and principals will continue to draw the same salaries which they are getting now and will also be eligible for promotions, other leave and allowance benefits as per the norms.

In case a lecturer is promoted during his deputation at the meritorious school, the society will take a call on whether the teacher is to be sent back to the parent department or given work as per the post he is promoted to in school itself. However, in case a principal is promoted, he will have to go back to the parent department.

In case a teacher, recruited under the Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan, is deputed to work in a meritorious school, he/she will be able to work for three years or till the period the RMSA contract is valid.

Meritorious schools were the brainchild of the former CM Parkash Singh Badal and were opened to provide an English-medium education to students of government schools scoring 80 per cent or more marks in the matriculation examination.

Students are provided free education, extra classes, boarding, books, uniform in these schools.

Maximum vacancies in Sangrur school

• The maximum number of vacancies, 31, is in the Sangrur school. Apart from the vacant post of principal, seven posts of chemistry lecturers, five of physics lecturer, four each of commerce, mathematics and English, two each of Punjabi, biology and computer are lying vacant in the school. 
• There are 29 vacancies in the Ferozepur meritorious school, 27 in Gurdaspur, 17 in Bathinda, 16 in Amritsar, 14 each in Ludhiana and Mohali, 13 in Patiala, nine in Talwara and five posts are lying vacant in the Jalandhar meritorious school. 
• The society has, however, taken note of the vacancies in the schools and has given a chance to teachers working in government schools to apply against these vacant posts if they wish to work on deputation.