The appointment of Principals to government colleges in Kerala has once again been mired in controversy. A section of teachers has approached the Kerala Administrative Tribunal (KAT) challenging the government order which authorised the appointment of 33 Principals.
The petitioners allege that the appointments were made by bypassing the University Grants Commission (UGC) norms and lacked transparency.
According to them, the UGC Regulations 2018 envisages the post of Principal as a ‘direct recruitment’ post. However, the government purportedly failed to abide by the provisions mandated for direct recruitments in the State.
Reservation norms ignored
Besides, the State government has been accused of completely ignoring mandatory reservation norms under the Kerala State and Subordinate Service Rules, leading to a loss of 16 reserved posts for backward communities.
