Uttar Pradesh Education Services Selection Commission (UPESSC), Headmaster (Aided High Schools) Recruitment - 2026 (1172 Vacancies)

Educational Qualifications, Experience & General Eligibility

1. Educational Qualifications

Candidates must fulfill all of the following criteria :

• Postgraduate Degree : A postgraduate degree from a university or institution established by law in India or recognized/deemed by the government, with a minimum of 50% marks.

• Professional Degree : A Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.) or Bachelor of Physical Education (B.P.Ed.) degree from a course recognized by the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE).

2. Teaching / Working Experience

Candidates must possess at least 4 years of continuous experience in either of the following categories, recognized by the Central or State Government :

• Option A : Teaching experience as a Lecturer (Pravakta) or Assistant Teacher (Sahayak Adhyapak) in higher classes (Classes 9 to 12) at a recognized institution.

  OR

• Option B : Working experience as a Headmaster in a Junior High School, duly issued by the competent authority.

Important Notes on Experience Certificates :

For regular schools, "issued by competent authority" means issued by the District Authority and countersigned by the Divisional Authority (District Inspector of Schools / Basic Shiksha Officer, countersigned by the Joint Director of Education or competent regional authority).

For Central Schools (Kendriya Vidyalayas), the competent authority refers to the Regional Officer / Commissioner of the Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan.

3. General Eligibility & Age Limit

• Age Limit : The minimum age of the candidate must be 30 years as of July 1, 2026. The age of superannuation (retirement) is 62 years (applications are not accepted if the age exceeds 62 years as of July 1, 2026).

• Citizenship : Must be a citizen of India.   

• Gender Eligibility for Institutions : Male candidates are not eligible for appointment as Headmasters in girls-only institutions. Female candidates are eligible for both boys' and girls' institutions (though a specific category must be chosen during the online application.

How to Apply?

• Step 1 : Check Eligibility — Carefully read the notification to ensure you meet all educational qualifications, age limits (minimum 30 years as of July 1, 2026), and required teaching experience before applying.

• Step 2 : One Time Registration (OTR) — Visit the official UPESSC website (www.upessc.up.gov.in) and complete your mandatory One Time Registration (OTR) procedure.

• Step 3 : Review User Manual — Read the online application user manual (available in Hindi and English) or watch the tutorial videos provided on the website before proceeding.

• Step 4 : Fill Out Application Form — Log in using your OTR details and fill out the application form strictly in English, ensuring all entries (including category, sub-category, and gender) are accurate, as changes are not allowed after final submission.

• Step 5 : Upload Photo and Signature — Scan and upload your passport-size photo and signature against a white background in JPG or JPEG format (size between 10 KB and 100 KB).   

• Step 6 : Upload Required Documents — Scan and upload all necessary supporting certificates and documents in PDF format (size between 20 KB and 200 KB).

• Step 7 : Pay Examination Fee — Pay the non-refundable application fee of ₹1,500 (applicable to General, OBC, EWS, SC, ST, and PwD categories) using the online payment gateway via Credit/Debit card or Net Banking.

• Step 8 : Final Submission & Printout — Submit the completed application form finally, and take/save at least three printouts of the submitted form for future records and mandatory submission during the interview stage.

Selection Process

1. Selection Stages & Weightage

The selection for the Headmaster post in Aided Schools is based on a total of 400 marks, split between a written examination and an interview :

• Written Examination : 360 Marks (120 Objective/Multiple Choice Questions)

• Interview : 40 Marks

• Total Evaluation : 400 Marks (Merit list is prepared based on the combined score)

2. Written Examination Details

• Question Type : Objective / Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs) with 4 options per question. Only one option is most appropriate, to be marked on an OMR sheet using a black ballpoint pen.

• Duration : 2 hours.

• Language/Medium : Hindi and English (except for language subjects).

• Marking Scheme :

  • Correct Answer : +3 marks.

  • Incorrect/Multiple Answers (Negative Marking) : -1 mark.

3. Interview Stage

• Candidates are shortlisted for the interview based on their performance (marks secured) in the written examination.

• Shortlisted candidates will be notified via SMS, email, newspapers, and the official website at least 10 days prior to the interview.

• Candidates must download their interview letter from the official website (www.upessc.up.gov.in) and bring two self-attested sets of copies along with all original documents, certificates, and a prescribed affidavit (Parishisht-3) at the time of the interview.

4. Tie-Breaking Criteria (Merit Resolution)

If two or more candidates secure equal total marks, the final ranking/merit position is decided sequentially using the following parameters :

1. Higher Written Examination Marks : The candidate with higher marks in the written test is placed higher.

2. Interview Marks : If written marks are also equal, marks obtained in the interview are evaluated.

3. Postgraduate Percentage : If interview marks are equal, the higher percentage in the Postgraduate degree is considered.

4. B.Ed. / B.P.Ed. Marks : If percentages are still equal, marks obtained in the B.Ed. or B.P.Ed. degree are checked.

5. Age Factor : If all the above scores are identical, the older candidate is placed higher in the merit list.