Ludhiana, June 10 -- A severe shortage of school principals has hit Punjab's government school system, with more than 57% of principal posts lying vacant as the promotion process for principals stays on hold, according to data compiled by the Democratic Teachers' Front (DTF), Punjab. The teachers' body has expressed concern over what it described as a worsening crisis in the education sector.

DTF Ludhiana district president Daljit Singh Samrala and secretary Harjit Singh Sudhar said that out of 1,927 government senior secondary schools in Punjab, as many as 1,113 are functioning without principals.

According to the data, Ludhiana has 101 of the 181 sanctioned principal posts vacant, translating into a vacancy rate of 55.8%. Statewide, t...