Itanagar: The Government Higher Secondary School (GHSS), Aalo, one of the oldest educational institutions in West Siang district, is currently operating without a regular principal and vice principal, raising concerns over administrative efficiency and staffing.
Established in 1948, the school has 469 students enrolled across the Humanities, Arts, and Commerce streams. In the absence of regular administrative heads, the principal of Nehru Memorial Government Higher Secondary School (NMHSS), Jirken Bagra, has been given additional charge of GHSS.
Bagra informed that the previous principal retired at the end of the last academic session, while the vice principal was promoted and transferred to Dari Higher Secondary School. He also flagged the shortage of faculty, particularly in English.
“The English teacher was transferred without a reliever. We have requested the Deputy Director of School Education (DDSE) to post a replacement. We have been assured that a teacher will be deputed within a week,” he said.
West Siang DDSE, Hengam Ete, acknowledged the leadership gap at GHSS but maintained that the school’s functioning has not been severely disrupted.
“An additional in-charge is currently managing the responsibilities. However, this issue is not exclusive to GHSS—it is a widespread challenge across government schools in the state,” Ete said.
She attributed the crisis to delays in convening Departmental Promotion Committee (DPC) meetings, which are necessary for processing promotions.
“The last DPC was held in the 2024–25 academic session. For the current year, we have already submitted the performance reports to the commissioner of education, but procedural delays may have held up the process,” Ete added.
NMHSS, too, is facing staffing challenges, with a senior trained graduate teacher (TGT) managing the duties of vice principal in an additional capacity.
“The absence of regular heads impacts the overall administration—from managing daily affairs to overseeing admissions. For a school to function smoothly, both principal and vice principal posts must be filled,” a parent stressed.
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