BENGALURU: Counselling for pre-university college teachers’ transfer, which commenced on Monday, had to be halted for half a day due to a row over a recent government order.
An hour after counselling began at 9 am, a few teachers got to know that the proceedure for counselling violated an order issued after the amendment to the Karnataka Teachers Transfers Act.
Under the amended Act, eight per cent of the teachers will be eligible for transfer every year. But the authorities were conducting the counselling for transfer of only five per cent teachers.
“When the order itself says that eight per cent are eligible to get transfers, how can they do it for five per cent?” asked Ninge Gowda, general secretary, Karnataka State PU College Lecturers’ Association. “They had completed counselling for two subjects when we realised the violation and brought it to the notice of the director,” he said.
Thousands of teachers who wanted transfers demanded that the counselling be held as per the new norms. A group of them met the PUE department director B S Ramesh and explained to him what was going on. “He understood the technical problem and directed the officials to go ahead as per the order and hold counselling for eight per cent,” said Ninge Gowda.
Following his directive, counselling resumed at around 3.30 pm.
The amendments brought to the Karnataka Teachers Transfers Act were approved by the governor on May 11, 2015.