As many as 155 government higher secondary schools in the State are functioning without principals.

The maximum number of vacant Principal posts are in Kasaragod – 38. Malappuram has 27 vacant posts, and Kannur is close behind with 26 posts. Pathanamthitta and Kozhikode have one vacant post. Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Alappuzha, and Kottayam have no vacant principal posts, as per figures tabled by the Education department in the State Assembly.

These vacancies have arisen after the general transfer of government higher secondary school Principals in the 2024-25 academic year or retirements.

Promotions to the Principal post were last held as per a government order on March 12.

The government has said that procedures for promotion to the Principal post in government higher secondary schools are in the last phase.

As per the Kerala Education Rules, appointments to higher secondary school Principal posts are made are made from higher secondary schoolteacher and high school head teacher in the 2:1 ratio.

Accordingly, 103 higher secondary teachers and 51 head teachers/assistant education officers are included on the select list for promotions to the post of principal for the 2023-24 year.

As there are only 51 high school head teachers who are qualified to be promoted as Principal or whose subjects are taught in the higher secondary section, the number of higher secondary teachers has been capped at double that as per the promotion ratio.

However, higher secondary teachers’ organisations argue that the number of vacancies is higher as vacancies would have arisen in the 2024-25 academic year too.

Rather than fix the number of higher secondary teachers on the basis of availability of eligible head teachers for promotions, the current vacancies of Principals should be filled with high school head teachers as per the proportion. If the number of eligible head teachers is inadequate, the government should fill the remaining posts with higher secondary senior teachers, Kerala Higher Secondary Teachers’ Union representative Abdul Jaleel said.

Promotions were often given to head teachers just ahead of retirement to ensure they got the resultant benefits. The government stance was to protect head teachers at the expense of higher secondary teachers, Mr. Jaleel alleged.

In fact, the promotion of high school head teachers as higher secondary principals should be stopped, Mr. Jaleel said.