All 16 school principals return to posts, Parliament told

All 16 school principals who were removed from their schools and directed to report to the Ministry of Education headquarters have returned to their posts.

Minister for Education Aseri Radrodro confirmed this in Parliament this week while responding to a written question from Opposition MP Hem Chand.

The principals had been stationed at the ministry headquarters following allegations of misconduct and referrals from divisional education officers, the director of Human Resources and deputy secretaries.

Mr Radrodro also addressed concerns regarding surplus teachers — educators who refuse transfers under the ministry’s Transfer Policy because of personal reasons such as medical issues or family circumstances.

“These teachers remain in their current positions, while those officers who were transferred to replace them end up without placements and become surplus,” he said.

Mr Radrodro said surplus officers were required to report to the ministry until suitable positions became available.

On abolished positions, he said some roles had been restructured or removed under previous leadership.

However, he assured Parliament the ministry continued to strictly follow approved budgeted positions each year and consistently applied the “person-to-post” principle, meaning every staff member must be matched to an approved role.