No intra-district transfers in last 7 years, allege school teachers
The last time the open transfers were held in 2016. In the years that followed, there were ‘mutual transfers’ of a small count of teachers
Calling the existing transfer policy ‘arbitrary’, teachers of government-run primary and upper primary schools have been awaiting to be relocated to a school or area of their choice within their own district for seven years now.
This is even as the state government has granted them inter-district transfers three times between 2017 and 2023 with the latest being on June 26, when around 16,614 teachers were adjusted. However, no ‘open’ or intra-district transfer has taken place in the said period, they alleged.
Teachers working in far-off development blocks of their district become eligible for open transfers after five years of service, according to the teacher posting rules of 2010. Under the provision, they can apply for transfer to a school of their choice within their own district. As a result, hundreds of teachers are forced to travel 70 to 100 kilometers daily to schools where they are stationed. The last time the open transfers were held in 2016. In the years that followed, there were ‘mutual transfers’ of a small count of teachers wishing to interchange their place of posting within the district, they maintained.
It may be noted that the posts of government primary and upper primary teachers belong to the district cadre.
Principal secretary Deepak Kumar had issued the order of adjustment/transfer on July 27, 2022. In another order issued on February 14, 2023, the option of adjustment/transfer was opened only if there are more than eight and six teachers in primary and upper primary schools, respectively.
The teachers, who have been seeking open transfers, alleged that new recruits and others who were transferred from other districts were directly posted in forward blocks.
There is a provision in the Right to Education Act that teachers should be adjusted by July 31 every year. The teacher-student ratio and details of vacant posts should be made public on the NIC website of every district. But no such data is available for Prayagraj post 2018, they claimed.
“The department and the state government have forgotten about thousands of differently-abled, women, single parents, couples and people with illness, and the troubles they have to go through every day to travel far from home to schools in rural pockets,” said Anil Rajbhar, a primary school teacher.
“A government order has been issued for transfers within districts. A portal is also ready... Apart from mutual transfers, there will also be open transfers after the promotion of teachers,” said Vijay Kiran Anand, director general (School Education).
