Despite crunch, 45% teachers shifted from rural schools

Aparna Banerji

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, July 1

Despite there being staff crunch in many rural schools,the district Education Department has transferred teachers from these schools to those in urban areas.

Of the 90 teachers from various cadres transferred in the district, 40 have been posted to schools in the urban areas. Of the 54 transferred in the master cadre, 28 have been posted to the urban schools. In the lecturer cadre, four of the seven transfers have been made to city areas.

Among the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) teachers, six of the 19 teachers have been posted to urban areas and in the C&V cadre, two of the seven transferred to the city areas.

While the transfer policy had mentioned that teachers from schools with 50 per cent or less staff were not eligible to seek transfers, many district teachers have been transferred from staff-strapped rural schools to city schools.

Teachers from schools such as Government Middle School, Bajuha Khurd; Government Senior Secondary School, Mulewal Khehra; and Government Senior Secondary Boys School, Bilga; have been posted to other areas even though these schools have less than 50 per cent staff. One teacher was transferred from Government Middle School, Muridwal, which has per cent staff against the sanctioned limit.

At Bilga, eight teachers were working against sanctioned 28 posts and at Bajiha Khurd, three were working against seven sanctioned posts and one has been transferred.

Two teachers were transferred from the school of Mulewal Khehra, which has a 12-teacher staff against 28 sanctioned posts.

A source said, “It seems more like a “shehar bharo”campaign than regular transfers. What has prompted the government to fill city schools by transferring teachers from staff-crunched rural schools? The website has a column which declares a teacher ineligible for transfer if he/she belongs to a school with ‘less than 50% staff’ category. The recent transfers show that either these teachers lied or the department didn’t cross check the facts.”

More than 1,200 teachers in the district had applied for online transfers.

District Education Officer Harinder Pal said, “All applicants have applied online for transfers. If there are schools with too little staff and losing more of it, we will look into it. More teachers have been posted to staff-crunched schools as well. A single-teacher school at Mundi Kasu village has received more staff for smooth functioning.”

Principal Secretary, Education, C Roul, said, “As per policy, teachers will not be transferred from the schools having 50 per cent or less staff. If a district education officer has violated it, we will act against him/her.”

He said, “We will prefer those who opt for the Bet or Border areas. The decision regarding a cadre for the Bet and Border areas had been notified in the Cabinet. We are considering fresh recruitment for teachers in the given areas to solve staff crunch problems.”

What the transfer policy says

Even as the transfer policy had mentioned that teachers from schools with 50 per cent or less staff were not eligible to seek transfers, many district teachers have been transferred from staff-starved rural schools to city schools