YPS creates director’s post for man rejected as headmaster

PATIALA: Yadavindra Public School (YPS), run by the family of Punjab Congress president Captain Amarinder Singh, has changed its hierarchy after the Council of Indian School Certificate Examination (CISCE) rejected the appointment of a new headmaster in May.

The school has created director’s post for major general Sanjiv Verma (retd), whom the education board found inexperienced for headmaster’s job. “To comply with the council rules, the school will fill the post during its board meeting on August 7,” said board chairman Malvinder Singh, Amarinder’s younger brother. “The post of the director will also be ratified officially.” Last headmaster, Stanley Vinod Kumar, retired in April after 10-year service.

Malwinder justified the changes by saying that the headmaster will look after academics and the director after overall administration of the school. However, insiders say it’s the director who will call the shots, which will undermine the headmaster’s post. “That will not be,” said Malwinder, “as both will be members of the board to have say in policy decisions.”

Major general Verma denied that the arrangement was a knee-jerk reaction to the turning down of his candidature as headmaster. “The school was thinking of this model for some time and it exists many other premier schools. The school is big and the past headmasters were unable to focus much on administration. Being a director, my focus will be to look after the school’s expansion and smooth running,” he said. The school has 1,700 students. CHANDIGARH: Lieutenant general Jagbir Singh Cheema, general officer commanding, Vajra Corps, has been nominated as officiating general officer commanding-in-chief of Western Command with effect from August 1. But it’s an interim arrangement, says the army headquarters.

Current GOC-in-C lieutenant general KJ Singh will superannuate after almost four decades on July 31. “With the interim arrangement, there will be no vacuum in the functioning of the Western Command headquarters and the chain of command will be intact,” says a Western Command press statement issued here on Thursday.

It’s unprecedented to have no name cleared for the army commander’s post. Lieutenant general Cheema has been in command of the prestigious Vajra Corps since August 21, 2015. He fought insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir and the North East.

Outgoing Western Army commander lieutenant general KJ Singh presided over a video conference with the corps commanders and principal staff officers to finalise modalities and response strategy for high operational preparedness. He appreciated the high morale of the troops.