Chennai: The move of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) to conduct an eligibility test for principals has drawn flak as school heads are strongly opposed to any such test stating that it ridicules the existing administration set up in the schools.
The board has notified the affiliated schools on the amendment in affiliation by-law to rule 53 (1) chapter 9 concerning the appointment of principals. The board said that it has decided to conduct the Principal Eligibility Test (PET) for aspiring teachers to become principal and for existing principals, who fulfil the minimum qualifications of the principal.
The circular also said that the eligibility and modality for introducing PET will be notified by the board in due course of time. This move has not gone down well with principals of the CBSE schools in the city and they all in one voice are opposing the eligibility test.
“This is definitely is not the right move by the board. We have been running the schools for more than 15 years and asking us to write the eligibility exam is not fair,” a principal of a city school said.
“Moreover, the principal’s role is a multifaceted one. We should be a teacher, administrator and compromiser and so on. An eligibility test cannot determine whether a person is having all these qualities,” he argued.
“It is a very bad move. For, the future principals they can conduct an eligibility test. But asking existing principals to appear for an eligibility test is like ridiculing the entire system,” another principal of a prominent school in the city said.
“We have no doubt that existing principals will clear the test. But the issue is if they are able to run the schools successfully for several years, why should they be asked to sit for a test?” he asked.
Some other principals said there is no need for such an eligibility test for principals. “The school management knows better. How one person from CBSE and one person from the state government can select a principal?” another principal wondered.
Another school principal, who is part of the board’s decision-making body said, “They could have just said future principals or aspiring principals have to appear for the eligibility test. There are a lot of representations is going to the board against this move. I think the board may reconsider the decision conducting the eligibility for existing principals.”
