The education department has initiated the process of compulsory transfers of teachers.
On Friday, the department has set up a deadline of May 30 for receipt of applications of teachers for these transfers.
In a letter to the Additional Director ( AD) Garhwal and Kumaon and District Education Officers ( DEOs) of all the districts, the additional director V S Rawat, who is officiating as director, has directed that these officers should update the list of teachers eligible for transfers and the number of vacant posts of teachers in all the districts.
The department has directed the ADs and DEOs to dispatch this district wise list till May 20.Meanwhile, the teachers’ organisations are annoyed on the 10 percent limit imposed in transfers. After the implementation of the Transfer Act- 2017, a maximum limit of 10 percent of the total posts is imposed on number of transfers.
The argument of the teachers is that since their working conditions are different and their numbers are much larger than other departments, the limit of 10 percent imposed on transfers is unjustified.
The general secretary of the Prathemik Shikshak Sangh (PSS), the organisation of primary school teachers, Digvijay Singh said that the limit of 10 percent is unjustified and should be removed for teachers.
He said that last year only five teachers were transferred in Dehradun district from the schools located in hard to access areas ( Durgam) to the schools located in the easy to access areas ( Sugam).
The department officials however opine that the waiving off the 10 percent limit of transfers for teachers would create problems as employees of other departments would also make similar demands.
They further point out that the increasing the limit and more transfers would put additional financial burden on the cash strapped department as transportation costs of the transferred employees has to be paid.