AAP Minister Atishi writes to Delhi Chief Secretary to withdraw mass transfer orders of govt school teachers

Delhi Education Minister Atishi on Thursday wrote to Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar and directed him to immediately withdraw the transfer order of teachers issued on July 2. The Delhi Education Minister also asked to immediately hold on any further compulsory transfer of teachers merely because they have completed 10 years in a particular school.

"Under clause 16 of this circular, all those teachers who have served for more than 10 years in the same schools were directed to compulsorily apply for transfer, failing which, they will be transferred to any school by the DoE," said Atishi, adding that nearly 5,000 teachers who did not apply for any transfer were transferred to other schools invoking this contentious clause. The Delhi Education Minister also directed the Chief Secretary to Initiate Disciplinary proceedings against the errant officers who willfully defied the direction dated July 1, 2024 with respect to implementation of compulsory transfer of teachers merely because they have completed 10 years in a particular school, and to Initiate Vigilance Inquiry against corruption and malpractice, if any, in the transfer matter of teachers.

The aforesaid transfer order is not only a blatant defiance of the direction of the Education Minister but also a complete disregard to the spirit and provision of National Education Policy 2020. Section 5.3 of the NEP 2020 says, "The harmful practice of excessive teacher transfers will be halted, so that students have continuity in their role models and educational environments. Transfers will occur in very special circumstances, as suitably laid down in a structured manner by State/UT governments. Furthermore, transfers will be conducted through an online computerized system that ensures transparency," he added. The Minister also directed the Chief Secretary to submit an Action Taken Report within 48 hours.

"With a mass transfer of such a magnitude, the entire school system is disrupted. The school from which a particular teacher has been transferred and the school to which she/he has been transferred both will be shaken... as the process of building bond with students, their parents and community will have to be reinitiated," the Minister said. She said that transfers may be required in exceptional circumstances to improve the environment in a school, but this "mindless action" is purely a mechanical administrative device that will demotivate teachers, break down relationships between the teachers and the community and impact the academic performance of schools.

"This mass transfer will serve only one objective of damaging the academic achievement of schools. The children who study in government schools come from the poorest sections of society without any academic support in their homes. Any damage to the academic environment in schools can have a lifelong impact on their education and future," she added. She alleged that many teachers had reached out to her alleging "corruption" by some officers in this mass transfer as part of which they were offered postings in the schools of their choice against consideration.

"Such is the level of fear of retaliatory action that these teachers are unwilling to lodge a formal complaint or state their allegation on record. Now this is a very serious matter, a blot on the functioning of Directorate of Education and goes against the transparency principle underlined by NEP 2020 with regard to teachers transfer," she said.