The General Education department has finally taken steps to reduce the work burden of higher secondary school principals.
The teaching hours of government and aided higher secondary school principals have been fixed at eight periods a week.
The periods that remain after the eight periods in the subject taught by the higher secondary school will be entrusted to junior teachers taking the subject in the same school who have fewer hours. They can teach up to 14 periods.
In case such teachers are not available, an earlier order to appoint teachers on daily wages will be implemented urgently.
An order rearranging the teaching hours of the principals in the wake of the increase in their academic burden and school administration duties following the merger of high school, higher secondary, and vocational higher secondary sections was issued on February 26 last year.
Earlier, the principals were appointed to a higher secondary school teacher post in higher secondary schools. As a result, besides the responsibility of the school, they had to teach up to 25 periods a week. This had increased their work burden significantly, and led the department to issue an order to rearrange their work. However, the order had not been implemented even after a year.
