Punjab Assembly Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan has raised the issue regarding the mandatory requirement of securing 50% marks in post-graduation for promotion to the post of Principal in government schools. In a letter to the School Education Secretary, he stated that a large number of experienced lecturers could be deprived of promotion due to this condition. He urged the department to take an appropriate decision in the matter and provide relief to the affected teachers.
The Speaker noted in his letter that, under a notification issued in September 2025, the School Education Department made a minimum of 50% marks in post-graduation mandatory for promotion to the post of Principal. However, there are many lecturers in the department who have obtained more than one post-graduate degree during their service. He suggested that when determining eligibility in such cases, the highest marks obtained in any of the candidate’s post-graduate degrees should be considered as the criterion, ensuring that qualified teachers are not denied promotion solely due to technical reasons.
Teachers Protest Against Change in Promotion Rules
Jagroop Singh Gill, the MLA from Bathinda Urban, has also raised this issue with the government. In a letter to the Principal Secretary (School Education), he stated that the path to promotion as Principal has been blocked for many qualified lecturers following the September 2025 notification. He appealed to the department to consider the matter sympathetically.
Meanwhile, affected lecturers have also submitted a memorandum to the School Education Minister demanding an amendment to the rules. They point out that the service rules of 2004 and 2018 did not contain any condition regarding 50% marks in post-graduation, and promotions were based solely on seniority. The rule change in 2025 is affecting hundreds of long-serving lecturers, headmasters, and vocational lecturers. **Rule Amendments Could Pave the Way for Promotions**
Teachers have demanded that if an employee holds more than one postgraduate degree, the highest marks obtained in any of those degrees should be considered valid for eligibility purposes. They argue that a similar system is already in place for vocational lecturers; therefore, general lecturers should also receive the same benefit. If this is not feasible, they suggest waiving the 50 percent marks requirement and granting promotions based on seniority, as was the practice previously.
Teachers are now keenly awaiting the Education Department’s decision on this matter. If the government amends the rules, it could open the path for a large number of lecturers to be promoted to the post of Principal.
