Facing a critical shortage of principals in government senior secondary schools, the School Education Department has started a data collection drive to fast-track promotions of direct-recruited lecturers to the posts of principals.Recent data reveals that out of 1,927 sanctioned posts for principals in Senior Secondary Schools, 984 positions remain vacant, representing a vacancy rate of approximately 51 per cent.In an official dispatch today, the Directorate of School Education (Secondary) directed all District Education Officers (DEOs) to submit comprehensive data for ‘Group-B’ lecturers who entered the department through direct recruitment.The order includes lecturers currently on duty as well as those serving on deputation in other departments.The vacancy crisis has hit several districts particularly hard, with some areas operating with less than a third of their required number of principals.Officials have been warned that any delay or negligence in providing this data will be the sole responsibility of the concerned DEO and dealing assistant.