The post of Principal, Sainik School Mansbal in Ganderbal is lying vacant for the last five months following the superannuation of the former principal of the school on December 31, 2021.
Following retirement of the former principal, the School Education Department (SED) J&K invited application from the candidates to fill the post of principal. However, the process has not been completed so far, rendering the school without a permanent principal.
Notably, the SED has given charge of principal of Sainik School Mansbal to Chief Education Officer (CEO) Srinagar as his additional assignment.
Sainik School Manasbal is an English-medium boarding school affiliated to the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) New Delhi.
The school prepares students for the National Defence Academy and other allied courses and is under the control of the government of Jammu and Kashmir, supported by the Ministry of Defence.
Being a boarding school, the institution needs a permanent principal who will be available within the premises of the institution.
“But despite the passage of five months since the former principal attained superannuation, the government is yet to appoint a new permanent principal for the school,” an official said. The delay in appointment of a permanent school head has left the students and parents disappointed.
“The students enrolled in this institution remain away from their families and they should have a permanent head available for them 24×7 in the school,” said a parent. The parents said it was not humanly possible for single person to manage two jobs simultaneously.
“It doesn’t only affect the students but also hits the smooth functioning of the school. It is a boarding school and its head should be always available within the campus to take different policy decisions as and when required,” another parent said. An official said availability of a permanent principal in the school helps to address all staff issues besides the problems raised by the students as well.
“When a permanent school head is available in the school, it gives a satisfaction to the parents about the safety of the students,” the official said.
Notably, against the intake capacity of 500 students, the school has enrolled around 475 students while the intake capacity of each class has been increased from f0 to 90.
Notably, Sainik School Manasbal is the only Sainik school which runs under J&K UT government while rest of the schools are managed by the Indian Ministry of Defence.
Initially, the Manasbal school principals were being deputed from the Army Education Corps, but since 1995 the school is managed by civil officials deputed by the SED.
Besides a 16-bedded hospital, the school has six hostels to house 60 students each.
“A sound character, team spirit, dedication to purpose, a patriotic outlook and the desire to serve the country with efficiency are the qualities sought to be promoted by the J&K Sainik School Manasbal,” reads the official website of the school. The admission to school is open to domiciles of Kashmir and Ladakh province only.
Principal Secretary SED, Bishwajit Kumar Singh when contacted said the process for appointment of new principal for the school was in its final stage.
“The new principal will be appointed very soon,” he told Greater Kashmir.