With the decision of Uttarakhand Education Minister Mantri Prasad Naithani to transfer teachers under Uttarakhand Teachers’ Transfer policy after September 15, the Education department has started receiving around 10 to 15 applications daily from teachers seeking transfer to the school of their choice.
One of the education officers said that teachers do not reach the directorate or secretariat directly to submit their application seeking transfers of their choice, but send their relatives or local public representatives for this. The department receives around 15 transfer applications daily from teachers' relatives. Some applicants had submitted their applications on medical grounds.
According to him, some teachers submit their applications with false medical certificates of their relatives in the hope of being transferred to suitable place. Most of the applications received in the directorate are approved by the Cabinet Ministers and MlAs or former Cabinet Ministers or ex-MlAs.
Sitting and former MlAs can be seen at the education directorate submitting applications of their relatives or supporters to the director for seeking transfer. School education director can be seen assuring the leaders that their applications will be considered when teachers will be transferred under the policy.
If the Education Minister is to be believed, around 2,623 surplus teachers will be transferred in September to those schools where teachers are less than Government standards. Earlier, these teachers might have been transferred in the schools located in accessible area from the schools located inaccessible after approval of politicians or bureaucrats.
Naithani said that those teachers who had already worked more than 20 years in the schools located in inaccessible area or most inaccessible area will be transferred in the school located in accessible area under the transfer policy. There is shortage of teachers in the schools located in inaccessible or most inaccessible area of the State.
The Education Department might face difficulties to implement Uttarakhand teachers transfer policy as large number of teachers do not want to work in the schools located in inaccessible area and most of them are being patronised by the local politicians. If teachers are transferred under the policy in September, corruption in teachers' transfer can not be ruled out. As of now, the Education Minister has not made any rule to check corruption in teachers’ transfer under the policy.