NALGONDA: In what could be described as an unusual show of professional solidarity, a large number of teachers in Nalgonda district have quietly ignored the district collector’s “temporary” transfer orders, which were, at least on paper, meant to improve the quality of education.
The orders were a follow-up to the state government’s plan to balance the student–teacher ratio to one teacher for every 30 students in primary schools and no more than a headmaster plus one teacher per subject in high schools.
Acting on the state government’s directions, the district collector issued Order No. 4683/B2/2025 on September 18, transferring 121 Secondary Grade Teachers and School Assistants across various mandals. The teachers were to be relieved the same day and join their new schools “immediately”.
That was over a fortnight ago. Many teachers, apparently unmoved by the administrative enthusiasm, are yet to turn up at their new postings. Sources say those sent from towns to remote villages have displayed a particularly deep attachment to their old workplaces.
This attachment seems immune even to official reminders. Some teachers have reportedly shown equal resistance to joining schools with large student strength, which the government had hoped to turn into “model” institutions.
DEO warns MEOs over absent teachers
The district educational officer, finding this wave of selective compliance hard to ignore, issued a fresh directive on October 4.
Mandal educational officers and headmasters were asked to submit the names of absentees within two days. The DEO has also warned that MEOs and headmasters themselves could face action if the missing teachers are not found at their new schools.
For now, the education department waits to see whether the teachers will finally honour their “temporary” transfers, or if this lesson too will remain unlearned.