Very few teachers of Government primary and upper primary schools have joined their new posts after being transferred from schools located in accessible areas to schools in inaccessible areas of the State.
It may be mentioned here that education department had released transfer list of 536 primary school teachers and 299 upper primary school teachers under Uttarakhand Teachers Transfer Policy-2013 in the state in the first week of September and these teachers were directed to join their new post within seven days.
School education (basic) director in-charge Mohan Singh said he has directed all the education officers (basic) to submit list of teachers who have not joined their new posts. Action will be taken against teachers who were named in the transfer list but did not assume their new charge within said time, he added. "As per the reports received from districts, around 99 per cent teachers who were transferred to the schools located in accessible areas under the policy have joined their new post.
In Pauri district, 32 out of 61 teachers have joined their new posts after being transferred from schools located in inaccessible areas," he added. Dehradun district education officer (basic) Pramendra Saklani said that three out of 61 Government primary school teachers who were transferred to schools located in inaccessible area from the schools located in accessible area have joined their new appointments.
Remaining teachers are yet to join in their new posts in the district while all government primary school teachers who were transferred to schools located in accessible area have joined their new posts, he added. As per the policy, the teachers named in the transfer list would get their salaries in the school where they were posted.
However, Uttarakhand Primary School teachers Union office bearers alleged that Government has released teachers’ transfer list at wrong time as in all the schools, half early examinations have started. According to them, there are several schools which were demarcated as most inaccessible or inaccessible areas in the categorisation done by the education department in past years but in the transfer policy, these schools are demarcated as located in accessible area.
Those teachers who worked in such schools have not benefited in term of their working experience as it was earlier demarcated as inaccessible area. The union will intensify its protests across the state unless government withdraws its transfer list soon. After the release of teachers’ transfer list, those teachers who were transferred to the schools located in inaccessible area pressurising the education officer through political and bureaucratic executives.
The education department has received several applications with the signature of political executives from the applicant stating transfer in the school of their choice.