HYDERABAD: The state government on Thursday shunted out G.Kishan, commissioner and director of school education, and gave additional charge of the post to senior IAS officer and principal secretary to government (political) Adhar Sinha. Though he was transferred, he was given no new posting. It is learnt that the move is aimed at satisfying the one-lakh-strong community of government school teachers in the state, many of whom were unhappy with the policies initiated by Kishan aimed at tightening the work culture in government schools.
He passed an order allowing optional holidays to be taken by individual teachers rather than schools and ensuring that schools remain open with at least 30 per cent of teachers as against the earlier norm that on optional holidays the entire school stay shut. This year he passed an order making it compulsory for government teachers to apply for leave to high school headmaster as well as the mandal education officer (MEO). Earlier, they used to apply only to the headmaster for leave.
A senior government functionary said, “The decision on transfer of Kishan had been hanging for the last six months. There were no corruption charges against him but he was disliked by government school teachers for not hearing their grievances patiently and for being very straightforward.” It is also alleged that Kishan did not yield to pressure for irregular transfer of some teachers who had political contacts.
The transfer of Kishan just one year before elections in the state does not come as a shock to many because as recently as May 16 that various joint action committees of teachers, at their meeting with chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao on transfers, complained against various policy decisions taken by Kishan. It is claimed by some that the CM then itself gave a hint of transferring Kishan.
On Thursday, around two dozen associations of government school teachers alleged that the government had already issued transfer orders for about 100 teachers in Hyderabad, Rangareddy and Medchal districts. The associations said that they would stage a dharna outside the offices of the department of school education on Saturday.