In a significant New Year development, the Uttar Pradesh government has delivered a much-anticipated gift to government school teachers by approving their promotions, marking a substantial move after nearly a decade of waiting. According to the TOI report, the decision comes on the heels of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's directive to fast-track pending promotions across all government departments, impacting approximately 60,000 teachers within the state.
Decade-long wait for Government school teachers
Teachers working in government-operated primary and upper primary schools under the umbrella of the Uttar Pradesh Basic Education Council have patiently awaited their turn for over ten years. The last round of promotions for basic education department teachers occurred in 2015, benefiting those appointed up to February 2009.
An official order from the secretary of the UP Basic Education Council, PS Baghel, details that promoted teachers will receive online school assignments by January 6, adhering to existing regulations. Simultaneously, inter-district and intra-district transfers of teachers are scheduled for completion by the second week of January, with relieving and joining procedures slated for January 11 to January 13, as per TOI reports.
Transparent procedures for promotions
Highlighting the commitment to procedural transparency, departmental officials stated, "Each district education officer will display a seniority list, invite claims and objections, and ensure promotions from primary head teacher to upper primary assistant teacher and from primary assistant teacher to primary head teachers will benefit out of this."
The delay in promotions has had financial implications, with affected teachers losing an average of Rs 2,500 to Rs 3,000 per month. Additionally, many schools are currently operating under a headmaster in-charge instead of a regular headmaster due to the prolonged wait for promotions.
Expressing optimism, a state office-bearer of the UP Junior High School Teacher Association said, "We hope that in the New Year, teachers will get their due credit." The move aims to benefit the vast student population of 1.9 crore studying in 1.3 lakh government primary and upper primary schools across 75 districts, served by over five lakh teachers in the state.
