Gita Gupta (name changed) who claimed herself as one of the prominent Congress leaders of the State was ‘shell- shocked’ when the school education director (higher secondary) RK Kunwar refused to meet her on Monday. She was said to have approached Kunwar to transfer a person known to her to a place of her liking.
Her brag as being an important social worker enjoying confidence of the Chief Minister and several Cabinet Ministers failed to cut ice as the officer refused to take her to a room other than his office for ‘private’ talks. Kunwar said he is a public servant and would not bunk the norms to favour anybody unduly.
“Anybody can meet me in the office. Your concerns will be redressed according to the merit of the cases. The teachers would be transferred in accordance with norms. We cannot indulge in favouritism at the expense of the quality of education of the students,” he said.
Recently, basic education director Seema Jaunsari said that a large number of applications seeking teachers’ transfer alluding to proximity of the Cabinet Ministers and MlAs are received by the department.
There are instances of Ministers sending such applications repeatedly by way of pressuring the department to fall in line. She said that no matter how enormous the pressure is, the teachers’ transfers will be done as per the norms. “Our objective is to improve level of education in all the schools of the State. We cannot afford to budge from them to please anybody,” she added.