Sisodia asks UPSC chief to recruit principals who can motivate, inspire students and teachers

Direct recruitment of principals for Delhi govt. schools happening after a decade

In a letter to Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) chairman Manoj Soni regarding recruitment of principals of Delhi government schools, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia has asked that the UPSC go beyond looking for academic and administrative abilities of the applicants.

Mr. Sisodia said that a school principal is not just an academic administrator but also a “school leader” as a principal is the single factor that can translate the vision of NEP 2020 into reality.

The qualities that the UPSC should look for include the person’s belief in every child’s ability to learn and an ability to inspire and mentor teachers, he said. He added that the person should have respect for Delhi’s culture and diversity and an understanding of ground realities of the city combined with a research-oriented mindset.

The letter to the UPSC chief comes ahead of the recruitment tests by the commission for 363 posts of principals in Delhi government schools. “Governments can only allocate sufficient resources and articulate the agenda of transformation, principals are the ones that make it happen,” Mr. Sisodia wrote.

Huge responsibility

He added that the average enrollment in a school of Delhi government is about 1,800 and the principal has a huge responsibility because the life of these students is shaped by his/her leadership, commitment and belief.

“The school shapes the character of its students, and the character of a society and a nation is shaped by its students. Therefore, while it is important that a principal should be well-versed with administrative processes, nothing less than a deep understanding of a child’s learning process, their psychology and what inspires them to learn is absolutely essential,” Mr. Sisodia said.

The government in a statement said that direct recruitment of principals for Delhi government schools is happening after a decade. The previous batch of 58 principals took their written exam in 2012 and joined the schools in 2015 after the completion of recruitment process that started in 2010 and completed in 2015.