Teachers worry as govt follows old transfer rules

They expected that after formation of Telangana State the norm would be relaxed and brought down to five years

Hyderabad: Government school teachers are unhappy over the transfer rules and guidelines issued by the Telangana government on Tuesday. In the wake of Telangana State formation, teachers sought five years as a norm for transfer but the government decided to followed the old norm of eight years that was framed in erstwhile Andhra Pradesh.

According to available data, there are about 1,20,000 teachers in the State. Transfer rules and guidelines would be applicable for 90,000 teachers in government, panchayat raj, zilla parishad and mandal parishad schools. As per the GO issued by the government, only 20 per cent of the teachers would be eligible for transfers with eight years norm.

If the norm was reviewed and five year applied, 70 per cent of the teachers would become eligible for transfer. In the erstwhile Andhra Pradesh, 2009 teachers were transferred in bulk and in 2011 a limited number were transferred. In 2013 the number was significantly reduced.

The teachers expected the government to give an opportunity now by relaxing the norm to five years. While that was the expectation from the teachers’ side, the government says if five-year norm is implemented, schools in the remote areas would be left with no teachers.

There are 17,000 vacancies available in the State, with five year norm, 70 per cent teachers can avail the mobility and 17,000 vacancies will be only in schools in the remote areas. But Chava Ravi, General Secretary, Telangana State United Teachers Federation, says the government should immediately go for DSC recruitment to fill up 17,000 vacancies.

But Telangana Deputy Chief Minister and Education Minister said the government will issue DSC notification only after the rationalisation process is completed. As per the schedule, tentative vacancy list of category-wise schools and rationalisation of posts will be displayed on District Education Office (DEO) website from June 22.

Teachers who are seeking transfer should apply online and should submit online application form printout to the concerned inspecting officer from June 22 to 27. The government will display the final list of vacancies management wise, category wise, subject wise and medium on DEOs website after completing the rationalisation process on June 26.

Date for receiving application forms in hard copies by DEOs is June 28 and 29. The seniority list with points for transfers, seniority list for promotions, surplus teachers identified will be placed on the DEO website on June 30 and objections on seniority lists with proof can be raised on July 1.

The final display of final seniority list at DEO will be on July 4. Transfers of headmasters of ZP management at district level and head masters of government schools is July 5. School assistants will be promoted to headmasters of ZP management at district level and head masters of government schools in zonal level will be done on July 6.

Transfer of school assistants in all subjects of government and ZP management at district level will be done from July 7 to 9. Promotions for secondary grade teachers (SGT) as school assistants is on July 10 and 11. Transfer of SGTs and equivalent cadres of ZP management and government management would be from July 12 to 16.

The whole process of transfers will be completed by July 16. To this effect, the government also issued GO No 12 detailing the rules for transfers in the State on Tuesday. To be eligible for transfer of post, a candidate should have completed minimum two years of service in a particular school. For those who completed eight years of service in a particular school, transfers are mandatory and for headmasters it is five years.

Speaking to newspersons at the Secretariat here on Tuesday, Telangana Deputy Chief Minister and Education Minister Kadiyam Srihari made it clear that transfers would be taken up only after giving posting to teachers who participated in 2013 counselling and failed to get new posting for various reasons.

“After relieving teachers who participated in 2013 and rationalisation of posts, transfers will be done,” the Minister said. Giving out sequence of promotions and transfers, Kadiyam informed that headmasters would be transferred first followed by promotion of school assistants to headmaster’s posts. “After promoting to headmaster’s post, transfers of school assistants will take place. Later, promotions of secondary grade teachers to school assistants will be done.”

Kadiyam said counselling would be conducted through online mode only. “Counselling dates will be provided to teachers and boarding facility will be provided only to the teachers whose counselling is scheduled on that day. Leave or absent will be marked for teachers who do rounds at the counselling centres without proper information to the relevant authority.

The Minister appealed to teachers and teachers’ unions to cooperate in the process. After new government was formed in Telangana, there were attempts to do away with the counselling system for transfers. But protests by teachers saying such a move will open avenues for political interference in transfers made the Telangana government withhold the move.

By:YUVRAJ AKULA