BANGALORE: Fixing tenure of Deputy Directors of Public Instruction (DDPIs) to two years, three years for Block Education Officers (BEOs), accommodating teacher couples in same district/division and no transfer of newly-appointed teachers for ten years - these are some of the decisions planned to improve functioning of the education department.
“All these points will be incorporated in a Bill which is being prepared and it will be placed in the ongoing session of the Legislature for a debate”, Primary and Secondary Education Minister Kimmane Rathnakar told Express.
At present, there is no accountability among DDPIs due to non-fixation of their tenure. A number of DDPIs are in the same districts for many years and doing nothing.
With regard to BEOs, their tenure would be three years. After completion of that period, they would be asked to go back to schools for teaching. The system of giving them posting in their native districts would be scrapped and they should be ready to work in new districts shown by the department. Apart from this, the staff working in DDPI offices would also be transferred to other sections of the same department, but within 8 km radius otherwise giving them TA/DA would be an additional burden on the department.
“Some of them are acting like collection agents without any commitment towards their work”, Rathnakar said.
10 Years Tenure for New Teachers
Following appeals for transfer from the newly-appointed teachers, the government has decided not to transfer them without completing ten years at their first place of appointment.
“Now, teachers who are appointed on merit, work in some district for two to three years and then bring all kinds of pressure seeking transfer to their home districts. This is one of the major problems faced by the department in the last few years. A majority of transfer requests are coming from teachers of South Karnataka who are working in North Karnataka. If such transfers are entertained, it would be very difficult to fill up those vacancies, “ he said.
Taking all these factors into consideration, the government has decided to take in writing that they would not seek transfer from the place of appointment till completion of ten years, he stated.
Of the total 63,000 teachers seeking transfer, 13,000 are teacher couples who are working in different districts. The government has decided to consider their appeals on humanitarian grounds, but strictly adhering to their waiting years, the minister said.