Prayagraj: Teachers in Uttar Pradesh’s aided secondary schools are set to get a fresh opportunity to become principals after nearly three decades, with the state govt proposing changes in recruitment rules to include trained graduate teachers (TGTs) in the selection process. For the first time, teachers working in private schools may also be eligible for recruitment as principals and headmasters.The education directorate has sent a proposal to govt seeking amendments to the existing rules. Once the changes are approved, Uttar Pradesh Education Service Selection Commission (UPESSC) will issue the recruitment advertisement.The directorate has already informed the commission about 1,475 vacant principal posts in intermediate colleges and 1,172 vacant headmaster posts in high schools across the state’s 4,512 aided secondary schools. The commission had sought changes in the rules before starting the recruitment process.Under the proposed changes, lecturers, high school headmasters and TGTs would be eligible for principal posts in intermediate colleges. TGTs were eligible for principal recruitment until 1998, but were excluded after an amendment to Secondary Education Service Selection Board rules that year.For high school headmaster posts, the proposal seeks to make lecturers eligible along with TGTs and junior high school headmasters. So far, only teachers working in aided and govt schools under state and central govts have been eligible for these posts.Principal and headmaster recruitment in aided colleges has not been conducted since 2013, making the proposed exercise significant for teachers seeking career advancement. The new recruitment is expected to be conducted through a written examination followed by an interview.
