Madhya Pradesh Education Department Opens Teacher Transfer Applications From June 19; New Rules Draw Criticism

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): The Madhya Pradesh School Education Department has started the online application process for teacher transfers from June 19. Teachers can submit their transfer requests online, and the last date to apply is June 23.

The department has released the transfer policy, but several teachers and teacher groups have raised concerns over its rules and conditions. Madhya Pradesh has around 4.25 lakh teachers, including about 1.75 lakh primary teachers, 1.50 lakh secondary teachers, and nearly 1 lakh higher secondary teachers (lecturers).

Teacher organisations say that because of the current rules, nearly 95% of teachers may not be able to benefit from the transfer process. They have urged the state government to relax some of the conditions.

New Policy

Under the new policy, 90% attendance is compulsory for transfer eligibility. However, teacher groups say that network and technical problems often affect attendance records. They also pointed out that nearly 75% of teachers are on Janjatiya Duty, where regular attendance is not recorded in the usual way, which could affect their eligibility.

The government has also decided that employees who have one year or less left before retirement, or whose home district and current posting district are the same, will not be eligible for transfer.

However, the policy provides some relief for widows, divorced women, and teachers suffering from serious illnesses, who may be considered for transfers within their home district.

Teacher organisations have requested the state government to review and ease some of these rules before the transfer process is completed.