Appointment of head teachers in focus

Kozhikode The Kerala Administrative Tribunal (KAT) is likely to take up a plea filed by a section of primary school teachers against what they term an “hurried attempt by the Education Department to elevate unqualified senior teachers as head teachers in government and aided primary schools” in the State. Those who filed the petition told The Hindu on Thursday that the Education Department filed a circular on February 16 to bypass the criteria for promotion as head teachers. The Right to Education Act stipulates that a teacher should have at least 12 years of experience and passed department-level tests along with an exam on the Kerala Education Act and Rules (KEAR). The Act also gave three years for head teacher aspirants to pass the mandatory Account (lower) test, conducted by the Kerala Public Service Commission, and the KEAR test.