Srinagar: The School Education Department (SED) has drawn flak for issuing a “flawed” list under Annual Transfer Drive (ATD)-2022 of teachers wherein teachers at the verge of retirement have been displaced, in violation of the existing transfer policy of the department.
On the other hand, the teachers having a mature stay of more than five years have not been displaced from their present place of postings.
The move has left the teaching community anguished who said the department consumed around half of the academic session in finalising the transfer list of the teachers which turned out to be a “flawed experiment.”
“A good percentage of teachers who applied for their transfers but have not been shifted in the ATD. These teachers continue to remain posted at their present place of posting despite having a mature stay,” a group of teachers complained to Greater Kashmir.
The teachers while displaying several names of teachers in the list said some teachers have been transferred and placed on the same place of posting.
“We fail to understand how a teacher is transferred within a school. The department has also neglected subject specific teachers in the transfer drive,” the teacher said.
The teachers said that some teachers have been adjusted against the post of the teachers from another district which is not possible under set norms.
“Ideally, a teacher cannot be transferred out of district but in ATD-2022 it has happened and a teacher from Nehama area of Pulwama district has been transferred and posted in Nehama area of Kulgam in south Kashmir. They have intermixed two districts,” another teacher said.
Principal Secretary SED, Bishwajit Kumar Singh when contacted admitted that some retiring teachers and those having not more than two years of stay were displaced in the ATD-2022.
“We have taken cognizance of the issue and all such grievances of the teachers will be resolved. The retiring teachers will not be relieved from their present place of postings and the orders for their retention at their present places will be issued in the second phase,” he told Greater Kashmir.
He said the department has a clear transfer policy but there were some discrepancies in the data submitted from districts. “That is why there were some unexpected errors in the transfer of teachers,” he said.
An official said the department has taken a serious note of the district and zonal officers who have not updated the data of the teachers including the date of retirement, tenure of teachers at present place of postings besides other requisite information.
“Some vested interests want to derail the online system of transfers as it is done on merits. But some people want to derail the present system and restore the previous system of transfers where teachers, masters and lecturers used to pay bribes for their transfers,” the official said.
“But in ATD, the teacher, master and lecturer is given the option to choose his five choices of posting and is placed according to his/ her choice,” he said.
Principal Secretary meanwhile said the administrative department will not allow anyone to derail the system. “Some people don’t want the system to run smoothly. But we are strictly following it and won’t allow anyone to derail the system,” he said.