Vacant leadership roles in Gujarat’s education department are raising concerns, with Class-I officers reportedly reluctant to shift from Gandhinagar to districts. This hesitation is creating administrative gaps that may disrupt school functioning and add uncertainty for students across the state.
According to a media report, eight key positions of District Education Officers (DEOs) and District Primary Education Officers (DPEOs) in Gujarat are still being handled on a temporary basis. Despite the critical role these officers play in managing schools and ensuring effective education delivery, many Class-I officers are unwilling to take up district postings ahead of their promotions. This ongoing reluctance is resulting in administrative instability and disruptions that directly impact students and school functioning across the state.
At present, crucial education leadership posts in districts like Valsad, Ahmedabad, Mahisagar, Bhavnagar, Surendranagar, Surat, Vadodara, and Rajkot are either managed by Class-II officers or handled on a temporary basis. This situation has raised concerns about administrative efficiency and the lack of stable leadership in the state’s education system.
According to insiders, while nine Class-I officers continue to remain at the state education headquarters, many district schools lack permanent leadership, which is affecting supervision and timely decision-making that directly impact students’ education.
The practice of assigning Class-I responsibilities to Class-II officers has led to frequent controversies. In Rajkot, for instance, Kirit Singh Parmar, a Class-II officer and Administrative Officer of the Rajkot Municipal Primary Education Committee, was given the additional charge of DEO. However, he was soon replaced by DPEO Divit Patel following disagreements—exposing the instability of the current arrangement.
Education stakeholders are urging the government to post Class-I officers permanently in districts without further delay. They stress that restoring administrative stability is essential to prevent governance lapses from affecting students and classrooms across Gujarat.