UP to take lessons from Haryana about teachers’ transfer policy

The Manohar Lal Khattar-led Haryana government’s corruption- curbing move of transferring school teachers’ through an online policy has caught the attention of Uttar Pradesh government.

Also, Capt Amarinder Singhled Congress government in Punjab on Wednesday gave nod for online transfer of government teachers from the next academic session, “on the lines of a similar system existing in several other states, including in Haryana.”

“An officer in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) has also contacted over phone Haryana education department officers to know about this online transfer policy of the teachers. We understand PMO wants Haryana policy to be replicated in other BJP ruled states,” a top Haryana government functionary told Hindustan Times.

Meanwhile, after discussing informally Haryana’s transfer policy that was started in June 2016, the BJP government of UP has formally invited additional chief secretary (school education) PK Das for deliberations.

Sources say the senior bureaucrat PK Das will give a power-point presentation about the transfer policy--and how it eliminated middle-men and corruption--to UP government likely on Friday.

The key feature of this policy, simply put, is that eligible teachers apply online for transfer by submitting their choice of schools from January 15 to February 15 every year. And, the transfer order is issued online from April 1 to April 30.

All teachers have to select the zones in order of their preferences across districts. They further opt for a minimum five or available number of schools--whichever is more--in order of preference within each zone so that their claim is considered against multiple vacancies within a zone. In case the teacher does not get preferred choice then in such cases teachers are given any available school in the same zone. In case there is no school available in the said zone then they are considered for the next zone of preference and so on.

All the options once exercised online by the teachers are available for view to all concerned teachers in their login. This transfer policy covers all teaching cadre posts including principals and headmasters.

But the teaching post of English medium ‘sarthak school, government model sanskriti schools and aarohi model schools’ are out of the purview of the Teachers Transfer Policy. No male teacher below the age of 50 years is posted in a girls’ school, while every teacher completing five years continuous stay in a particular school is transferred.

“The policy guarantees five years tenure and the teacher cannot be transferred midway. All the reasons are given online why the teacher was posted or why wasn’t posted in his first choice of station. This transparency in transfers has reduced litigation and eliminated corruption at every level,” a senior IAS officer said requesting anonymity.

SELECT THE ZONES IN ORDER OF THEIR PREFERENCES ACROSS DISTRICTS. ALL TEACHERS HAVE TO