Bihar govt puts hold on new teachers transfer policy

PATNA: The Bihar government has put the implementation of the new transfer policy for teachers on hold, amid growing resentment among them, a minister said. The transfer policy was initially scheduled to be rolled out in December.

Talking to reporters here on Tuesday, state Education Minister Sunil Kumar said, “The transfer and posting of teachers will be done together for all the teachers…This will be executed only after completion of five competency tests for old teachers appointed through Panchayati Raj Institutions(PRIs) and urban local bodies in the state."

He also said the government might bring certain changes in the policy to prevent inequality. The policy that will be introduced in the future will be in the interest of teachers, the minister said. "There are certain practical problems in the current policy, which will be removed soon," Kumar said without divulging the anomalies in the current policy, which created resentment among the teachers.

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Patna high court's decision on transfer policy

Incidentally, the decision was taken in a day when the Patna High Court heard a bunch of petitions challenging the transfer policy. The court asked the state government to file its reply by the next date of hearing on January 21.

The minister claimed, “The decision to put the transfer policy on hold has nothing to do with the developments in the high court. Several teachers had expressed their reservations about the new transfer policy. After detailed deliberations, we consulted the CM and decided to put it on hold for the time being”.

The decision also came a day before the government plans to distribute fresh appointment letters to teachers who have cleared the competency tests.

Transfer policy decisions for teachers

The education department had recently come out with a new transfer and posting policy for school teachers. As per the policy, all teachers were required to provide their choice in order of preference through the department’s portal.

It was mandatory for all the teachers - appointed through the Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC) or those recruited through Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) and urban local bodies and having cleared the competency test.