Chandigarh, March 24: Punjab Chief Minister CaptainAmarinder Singh on Wednesday digitally ordered mass general transfers of schoolteachers through the online portal of Education Department, in line with theTeachers Transfer Policy-2019.
With the touch of a button, the Chief Minister cleared thetransfer of 10,099 teachers and volunteers to the station of their choicepurely on merit basis. Education Minister Vijay Inder Singla was also presenton the occasion.
A total of 35,386 online applications were received fromaspiring teachers and volunteers, of which 15,481 were found ineligible as theywere found short of the prescribed parameters of the policy. The remaining19,905 were found eligible for transfer. For the first time, Computer Teachersand various categories of Education Volunteers were brought into the ambit ofthe Teachers Transfer Policy.
Speaking on the occasion, the Chief Minister said the uniqueteachers transfer policy has been instrumental in successfully achieving thegoal of quality education through filling of vacant posts. This has helped inensuring uninterrupted academic session, besides giving enormous jobsatisfaction to the teachers to work at the places of their choice exclusivelyon merit. He disclosed that the state Government would soon enact the TeachersTransfer Act for transfer of teachers, in place of the existing system of notificationissued by the School Education Department.
The Chief Minister lauded various projects of the SchoolEducation Department for sprucing up infrastructure and improving the qualityof education in government schools. Punjab, he pointed out, has pioneeredseveral path-breaking initiatives to bring in qualitative improvement in schooleducation. The Teachers Transfer Policy-2019 was also a major step in thatdirection.
Under the online system, so far over 50 percent transferapplications have been approved with utmost transparency. As many as 10099teachers, including 4405 masters, 3748 primary teachers and 718 lecturers, aswell as adequate number of Computer teachers working under Punjab ICT EducationSociety (PICTES), have availed the benefit of the policy, apart from differentcategories of Education Volunteers and Education Providers working under‘Smagra Sikhiya Abhiyan’.
Detailing the process, an official spokesperson said theteachers aspiring for transfers need to apply on the department's portal,.Employees who are suffering from Cancer, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, Sickle cellAnaemia, Thalassemia or on Dialysis, besides handicapped to the extent of 60percent, divorcees, having differently abled or mentally challenged children,are exempted from submitting online transfer requests. Similarly, War widows,Widows of Martyrs, where death of the spouse makes it necessary for the servingemployee to relocate to another place immediately and having children below 15years of age or teachers who are spouses of armed force personnel posted indifficult areas, also need not submit their transfer request online. The ordersin such cases would be issued with the approval of Chief Minister on merit.