VISAKHAPATNAM : At a time when the education authorities have taken up a massive exercise pertaining to transfer of around half of the teachers in the district, teachers union leaders are opposing the move. Nearly 5,000 teachers are expected to be shifted and the unions say that it is not a proper time to effect the transfers as the academic year has just begun.
Since the last few days, the education officials have been in a hurry to meet the deadline since transfer counselling schedule is on threshold. It is expected that approximately one third of the total teachers would be affected this time as the number of applications submitted online has reached 5,565 by the end of the deadline on Saturday.
“Up to Saturday afternoon, 5,565 applications were submitted online. As the counselling would be done completely online this time, we are taking every care to complete the task without any mistake,” said G Nagamani, district educational officer (DEO), adding that no unfair practices or obstacles were encountered, except for the technical problems of the main server on the first day.
In Visakhapatnam district, there are 10,805 teachers in 4,105 government, aided, local bodies management schools. Among them, due to rationalisation, 47 were closed recently and 45 UP schools were downgraded to primary schools. On the one hand the government wanted to conduct the ‘Enrolment week - Badiki Vasta’ programme and on the other hand, it has released the teachers’ transfer schedule. Since long, all the teachers unions have been demanding early transfer counselling during the summer holidays itself as it is convenient to education officials as well as teachers. But their pleas appears to have fallen on deaf ears.
This year, the government issued clear instructions. Any teacher who completed eight years of service at any place, headmasters working in the same school for five years and the male teachers below 50 years of age and working in girls schools along with the teachers who lost their posts in the rationalization process were to be compulsorily shifted.
Along with this, teachers who were serving at non-focal areas will opt for focal area. As per the government guidelines, the Education Department had already released points to the teachers as per their academic performance, current workplace and etc. The government issued transfer schedule on June 12 and asked teachers to submit applications online.
Meanwhile, the Government extended the last date for submission of applications from June 16 to June 17 noon. Later as per the schedule, district officials are supposed to declare the district-wide vacancy chart on June 18 (Sunday). Every teacher who applied for transfer should have 20 to 22 places to choose from. Places will be allocated online as per the vacancy.
On June 24, authorities will publish the list of transfers. On June 25, 26 & 27, authorities will receive objections and conduct fresh scrutiny of applications. On June 28, the DEO office will announce the final list. On June 29 and 30, the authorities will issue new posting orders and individuals should report for duty by July 1.
“There is no clarity in the transfer schedule and all are in a confused state on the service points, spouse/sick/PHC etc categories. Due to this, the crucial enrolment programme would be affected,” said K Pydi Raju, a leader of State Teachers Union (STU). “Last year, we achieved 40,000 new admissions in the first month itself. But due to this transfer counselling, it is difficult to achieve the admissions target this year,” lamented an official from the DEO office.