The recent appointment of the new Principal at Lamdon School, Leh, has become a controversial issue, particularly on social media. It is alleged the appointment has not been very transparent.

The vacant post was advertised, and the criteria set was post-graduate with B.Ed degree, five years teaching experience, two years administrative experience, age below 48, and preference to a Bhoti-knowing candidate. Later, it was re-advertised with some amendments (Age below 50 years, and preference to a Bhoti- knowing candidate was removed) in the criteria.

There were nine applicants but only five candidates turned up for the interview on May 11. Of these five applicants, three were shortlisted for the second round of interview on May 20.

Dr. Tsultim Dorjay, one of the applicants, alleges that the management has ignored all rules and procedures of CBSE. He further accuses the school administration of adopting a “non- transparent” procedure in the appointment process.

He also alleges that injustice is meted out to the applicants and the selection procedure has been carried out in a wrong manner.

Dr. Dorjay, says, “After the first round of interviews, three of us were shortlisted for the second round. We were asked to give a presentation for 15-20 minutes. On the presentation day, the tricky part was that besides the set timing, there were no time rules as the third applicant took 40 to 50 minutes.

 “The selected applicant doesn’t even have a B. Ed degree which is one of the required qualifications as mentioned in the application notice.  But surprisingly, the Lamdon Society asked the appointed person to produce the document after two years, which is difficult to understand because usually, all the necessary documents need to be produced on the interview date."

The last date for submitting an application for the post of principal was March 31, 2018 , while the second round of interview was held on May 20.

Gyen Konchok Gyaltson, another applicant says, “I was the fourth candidate during the first round of interviews and one of the panelists left the room. This clearly shows the non-seriousness of the interviewer who left the room suddenly.”

When Reach Ladakh contacted Tsewang Paljor, President, Lamdon Management Society, in response to these allegations, he says, “Whatever we decided, it was in the best interest of Lamdon School, Leh. We selected the candidate who is capable and most suitable for the post. The Lamdon Society and Management Committee have unanimously decided and it was purely on the basis of merit.”

He further says that the appointment letter to Dr. Stanzin Dawa was issued 10 to 15 days ago and he will be taking charge of Lamdon School as Principal from July 1.

While on the other hand, Dr. Tsultim Dorjay questions, “If it was a unanimous decision, why did they take weeks to declare the final result?”

Dr. Stanzin Dawa, the newly- appointed Principal says, “I have been associated with academic institution and youths for a very long time. I have trained teachers, principals, professors and also provided training to many national and international universities. Having such exposures, I wanted to contribute my best to the society”.

 

“The principal should have leadership, administrative, team management experience and knowledge in partnership and networking skill. Ultimately, the role of Principal is not to teach in the class but to create enabling environment so that school’s larger goals and vision can be met,” he adds.

On June 14, Reach Ladakh met with Avny Lavasa, Deputy Commissioner and Joint Director Education, Tashi Dolma, at that point of time they were not able to comment on the issue. They assured us that they will comment after looking into the matter.

Lamdon Model Senior Secondary School, Leh, was established by Lamdon Social Welfare Society, a voluntary charitable organisation, in 1973.