Mulyono Highlights Overly Complex Process for Appointing School Principals

Sangatta – The Head of the East Kutting Education and Culture Office (Disdikbud), Mulyono, believes that the current mechanism for appointing school principals needs to be evaluated. In addition to administrative stages, candidates for principal positions must undergo several processes and meet various requirements through a pre-established system.

According to Mulyono, these conditions are one of the reasons why some teachers are not necessarily interested in taking on the role of principal. Furthermore, the responsibilities borne by a principal are quite significant, while the additional compensation received compared to regular teachers is deemed to lack sufficient appeal.

“Currently, appointing a principal is complicated. There is an application, there are exams, and so on. In reality, becoming a principal offers almost no additional value,” said Mulyono.

He stated that this issue needs to be a subject of evaluation moving forward, especially as the East Kutai Education Office still has dozens of principals serving as Acting Principals (Plt).

Mulyono mentioned that the number of acting principals currently exceeds 60, covering early childhood education (PAUD), primary (SD), and junior high school (SMP) levels. Therefore, his office will endeavour to accelerate the recruitment process for candidates who have met the necessary requirements.

“We have around more than 60 acting principals. This includes PAUD, SD, and SMP. It is not up to 100. So, as soon as those who meet the requirements and the system are ready, we will process them immediately,” he said.

He emphasised that appointments do not have to wait for all vacancies to be filled simultaneously. In his view, conducting the process collectively would only make it take longer.

On the other hand, Mulyono acknowledged that several issues arise when the requirements within the system do not fully align with the actual conditions in schools. One such issue relates to the rank requirements for principal candidates.

“This is handled through a system. This system is not something we can negotiate. If we bypass it, the application is lost,” he said.

Mulyono hopes that the mechanism can be evaluated in the future so that the need for school principals in the region can be met without disregarding existing regulations.