Teacher transfers likely to resume this week

The transfers be halted in Karnataka owing to floods

The Department of Public Instruction (DPI), which halted the transfer of teachers last week, is likely to resume it this week.

This was decided after a discussion with Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa on Monday.

The Chief Minister had ordered that the transfers be halted owing to floods as teachers could not travel from different parts of the State. Besides this, he had also asked the department to examine if any amendments could be made to the rules to accommodate more teacher transfers.

The department officials reportedly told Mr. Yediyurappa that no changes could be made as more than 70% of the counselling process was completed.

“The teachers who have already got transfer orders are likely to challenge them in court if the process is halted midway or if the norms are tweaked,” a senior official in the department said. The excess teachers in schools have been transferred and a part of the compulsory and request transfers too have been done.

Currently, mutual transfers and part of a request and compulsory transfers are yet to be completed. Officials said that all the Education Department officials in the district would be informed of the transfer schedule before the process would commence again.

The process of teacher transfer has been stalled several times owing to political pressure by elected representatives, particularly those representing teachers’ constituency.

The move to conduct the transfers in the middle of the academic year has earned criticism.

“Every year, we urge the department to conduct the process of transfer before the commencement of the academic year. Students have to suffer as teachers to leave the school in the middle of the year,” said a government primary school teacher.