TULUNGAGUNG – The Tulungagung school principal appointments process is moving faster as the local Education Office maps 139 vacant leadership positions across schools and prepares definitive placements.
Officials say they have completed the main administrative requirements to support the acceleration plan. The move aims to ensure stronger school leadership and improve education management across the regency.
Acting Head of the Tulungagung Education Office, Deni Susanti, said her office welcomed instructions from Acting Regent Ahmad Baharudin to speed up the appointment of permanent principals.
“Administratively, we have prepared the data and mapped the vacant positions,” Deni said on Thursday (April 23). “Our main focus is to ensure the process follows regulations so school leadership can become stable and learning quality can improve.”
She explained that the 139 principal positions cover three education levels. The vacancies include 3 kindergarten positions, 124 elementary schools, and 12 junior high schools.
According to Deni, the office is not using domicile as the main factor for placement. Instead, officials are matching candidates based on school needs and professional qualifications.
She said this mapping process is important because the government wants principals who can do more than fill administrative requirements. Officials also expect them to improve education quality in each school.
In addition, the Education Office wants every stage to comply with existing regulations. This step will help prevent legal and administrative problems in the future.
“The most important things are legal certainty and leadership quality,” she added. “After these appointments become definitive, we want schools to operate without obstacles and maintain education standards.”
Previously, the Tulungagung regency government set a target to fill all vacant principal positions and replace acting principals with definitive appointments as soon as possible.
Authorities believe the policy will resolve administrative issues and strengthen education management throughout the region.