Today, the Government School Lecturers Union Punjab wrote a letter of suggestion to the Honorable Secretary of School Education regarding the hearing held on 05-02-2026 in the Honorable Punjab and Haryana High Court regarding the Teacher Eligibility Test. Speaking about this, State President Mr. Sanjeev Kumar stated that approximately 1,150 schools in Punjab are without principals. The Punjab Government's Education Department was moving forward with the process of principal promotion from the feeder cadre.
At that time, some private individuals filed a case in the Honorable Court and stalled the promotion process. Citing the Teacher Eligibility Test, they obtained a stay from the Honorable Supreme Court. He further explained that the Honorable Supreme Court has mandated the Teacher Eligibility Test in minority schools under the RTE Act 2009. The RTE Act 2009 primarily mandates free and compulsory education for children under 14 years of age.
Therefore, the Honorable Supreme Court's above-mentioned decision applies to all teachers covered under the RTE Act 2009. In this regard, school lecturers/PGTs and school heads are not directly covered by this decision, as children studying in secondary and senior secondary schools are over 14 years of age. Second, the National Council of Teacher Education will soon set new standards for school leadership, but these have not yet been implemented.
Third, the National Education Policy 2020 is being implemented in a phased manner across the country, emphasizing the qualitative management of school leadership. It has not been implemented in principle in the state of Punjab. Therefore, the organization demanded that the Honorable Education Minister of Punjab, Sardar Harjot Singh Bains, and the Honorable Secretary of School Education, Punjab, Mrs. Sanali Giri, strongly advocate the legal aspect of promotions in the context of the rules before the Honorable High Court in the interest of students and strengthen school education by appointing new principals to schools before the upcoming academic session.
This letter was sent with the consent of the officials. This letter of suggestion was written by the Government School Lecturers Union Punjab to the Honorable Secretary, School Education, in reference to the hearing held in the Honorable Punjab and Haryana High Court on February 5, 2026, regarding the Teacher Eligibility Test. Speaking on this matter, State President Mr. Sanjeev Kumar stated that approximately 1,150 schools in Punjab are without principals. The Punjab Government's Education Department was moving forward with the process of principal promotion from the feeder cadre.
At that time, some private individuals filed a case in the Honorable Court and halted the promotion process. The Honorable Supreme Court granted this stay, citing the Teacher Eligibility Test. He further explained that the Honorable Supreme Court has mandated the Teacher Eligibility Test in minority schools in accordance with the RTE Act 2009. The RTE Act 2009 primarily mandates free and compulsory education for children up to 14 years of age.
Therefore, this decision of the Honorable Supreme Court applies to all teachers covered under the RTE Act 2009. In this regard, school lecturers/PGTs and school heads are not directly affected by this decision, as children studying in secondary and senior secondary schools are over 14 years of age. The second National Council of Teacher Education will soon set new standards for school leadership, but these have not yet been implemented.
The third National Education Policy 2020 is being implemented in a phased manner across the country, emphasizing the qualitative management of school leadership. It has not been implemented in principle in the state of Punjab.
Therefore, the organization demanded that the Honorable Education Minister of Punjab, Sardar Harjot Singh Bains, and the Honorable Secretary of School Education, Punjab, Mrs. Sanali Giri, strongly present the legal aspects of the rules before the Honorable High Court, highlighting the importance of promotions, and strengthening the interests of students and school education by appointing new principals to schools before the upcoming academic session. This letter was sent with the consent of the officials.