Ban on transfers puts teachers in a bind

Hyderabad: Thousands of government school teachers are eagerly waiting for lifting of the ban on transfers and they are hoping that the government would allow transfers this year.Leaders of teacher unions on Monday submitted a memorandum to the Chief Secretary seeking lifting of ban on transfers. The State government has been imposing a ban on transfer of government employees, including teachers, for the past three years.

The ban was imposed from 2012 in the undivided Andhra Pradesh and it still continues. The government cited various reasons including bifurcation problems and allocation of employees between Andhra Pradesh and Telangana for not allowing the transfers.The transfers were not allowed in 2016 as the government had taken up reorganisation of the districts.

According to leaders of employees, the School Education Department has been citing rationalisation process as the reason for not allowing transfers.Transfers would help government employees in summer vacation to choose schools and colleges for their children. But the leaders of government employees and teachers are sceptical about lifting the ban on the transfer this year also.

A leader of the teachers union said with the objections from the employees working in the old districts, the government may not allow transfers.While the employees and teachers working in the old districts want their retention in the present places, those working in the newly-created districts want to be shifted.

The differences among employees of old and new districts may prevent the government from lifting the ban on transfers. The leaders said the continued ban on the transfers had been leading to unrest among the government teachers.