VIJAYAWADA: The teacher transfer process in Andhra Pradesh has sparked widespread unrest, with educators across the State protesting the government’s decision to proceed with online counselling, despite prior assurances of manual counselling.
What began in May with expectations of a streamlined and transparent system has turned into a chaotic and frustrating ordeal for thousands of teachers.
The strongest opposition has come from Secondary Grade Teachers (SGTs), who are demanding a return to manual counselling.
“We were clearly told during a meeting with the Principal Secretary that manual counselling would be held. Why has the government gone back on its word?” questioned Mannam Srinivas, President of Telugu Nadu Upadhyaya Sangam (TNUS). He called the move not just a policy failure but a breach of trust.
An estimated 40,000 teachers are set to participate in the final phase of transfers. Among them, SGTs face the toughest challenge, having to select from thousands of schools based on seniority — a task they say is impractical in the current digital format. “We are not machines. One mistake in selection could ruin our careers,” stated K Prakash Rao, State General Secretary of Andhra Pradesh Primary Teachers’ Association (APPTA), calling for exclusive manual counselling. Teachers staged protests statewide on Sunday, accusing the government of ignoring their repeated appeals.
However, teachers argue that sufficient time remains, with schools reopening on June 12 and holidays on June 13 and 14. “We’re even ready to attend counselling during holidays — all we ask for is fairness and accuracy,” said one teacher on social media. Unions have written to Education Minister Nara Lokesh, urging intervention before the situation escalates further. In response, Director of School Education V Vijayaramaraju told TNIE that the department has decided to incorporate “slot counselling” into the web-based system to address concerns. The revised system will offer options to batches of 500 teachers based on seniority, aiming to reduce pressure and confusion.
He reiterated that manual counselling will not be conducted, stressing that the online process has addressed past issues of inefficiency, lack of transparency, and bias.
“This digital approach ensures rule-based, teacher-friendly transfers that align with legal and administrative norms,” Vijayaramaraju said.
Despite the clarification, teacher unions remain firm on their demand, with many still hoping for a last-minute reconsideration by the government.