KOTTAYAM: With the Election Commission announcing the Lok Sabha polls, the legal entanglement surrounding the transfer of Higher Secondary teachers has further worsened. Many higher secondary teachers who have been removed from their original schools through a transfer order are in a dilemma as they are unable to start their job at their new schools because the Kerala Administrative Tribunal (KAT) has stayed the transfer order.
The General Education Department issued a general transfer order for higher secondary teachers on February 16. A group of teachers challenged the order in the KAT and the Tribunal stayed the transfer process on February 21. This has affected many teachers as those who were attending HSS teachers’ transformation programme (HSSTTP) or had taken joining time in accordance with KSR Rule are unable to join new schools. It is estimated that approximately 400 teachers across the state are impacted by this situation.
Though the government filed an appeal with the High Court to lift the stay, the Court referred the matter back to the KAT for a decision.
The KAT conducted hearings on March 13 and 15, but the case has been postponed for further hearings on April 8. However, with the Election Code of Conduct now in effect, the process of transferring teachers has become even more complicated. Teachers who are unable to sign the attendance book are under significant mental stress.
Despite this, they are still being assigned exam duties as scheduled before the transfer. They will also have to undertake paper valuation and election duty in April. However, once the exams conclude on March 26, these teachers will not have a work station to join. “This is a challenging situation as we currently do not have a work station. Without a designated place to mark our attendance, we fear that there may be a disruption in our service,” expressed a teacher who wished to remain anonymous.
Meanwhile, following directives from higher authorities, teachers in transit mode have reported to the offices of regional deputy directors or the Higher Secondary directorate. As temporary arrangement, teachers were given letters to be submitted to their original and new schools to document their current status. Subsequently, the directorate issued a circular regarding their exam duties and salary for the month of February.
“However, the issue we are facing is that we are unable to sign the register at any of the schools. The schools will be closed on March 26 after the exams. According to regulations, we are required to sign on the last working day at our respective schools, which will not be feasible given the current circumstances,” explained the teacher.
To address these concerns, teachers have established a WhatsApp group named ‘Teachers on Transit’ to coordinate and strategise further actions. They are also exploring avenues to escalate the matter to the chief minister or the education minister. “The government, in consultation with the Election Commission, should consider rescinding the transfer orders and initiating a new transfer application process to resolve this crisis,” a teacher proposed.