Private CBSE schools cannot appoint their own principals

Vikas Pathak

No candidate rejected by the CBSE or State government representatives can be appointed principal of even a private school.

Private schools affiliated to the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) are set to lose their autonomy in appointing their principals, as each aspirant will have to pass an eligibility test conducted by the CBSE and representatives of the CBSE and State government will have a veto in the selection committee to pick a principal.

Teachers aspiring to be principals will soon have to appear for a Principal Eligibility Test (PET), the CBSE has decided. Those who are already principals will also have to take the test. However, this amendment to the affiliation bye-laws does not apply to government schools.

“Consequent upon the recommendations of the Affiliation Committee and ratified by the Governing Body…, the Board has decided to conduct the Principal Eligibility Test for aspiring teachers to become principal and for existing principals, who fulfil the minimum qualifications of Principal..,” says the new amendment in the CBSE’s affiliation bye-laws. “The amendment shall not be applicable to principals of government schools.”

This comes just after another amendment that gave the State governments and the CBSE an effective veto in the appointment of private school principals.

While earlier the selection committee for choosing a principal of a school comprised the president of the society, the chairperson of the managing committee and a person having experience of administration of schools nominated by the managing committee, the constitution of the committee has now been tweaked.

As per the new amendment to the affiliation bye-laws, the person on the selection committee with experience in administration of schools or an educationist will be appointed by the managing committee in consultation with the CBSE. Two or more other persons will now be on the panel – a person nominated by the CBSE and nominee(s) of the State government as per the State Education Act.

What offers the State government and the CBSE a veto is the condition that “recommendations of the selection committee shall invariably have concurrence” of the last two categories of members on the committee.

In other words, no candidate rejected by the CBSE or State government representatives can be appointed principal of even a private school.