Punjab CM digitally orders mass transfer of teachers

Chandigarh, March 24 Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Wednesday digitally ordered mass transfer of school teachers through the online portal of the state Education Department, in line with the Teachers Transfer Policy, 2019.

With the click of a button, the Chief Minister cleared the transfer of 10,099 teachers and volunteers to the station of their choice purely on merit basis. Punjab Education Minister Vijay Inder Singla was also present on the occasion.

A total of 35,386 online applications were received from teachers and volunteers, of which 15,481 were found ineligible as they were found short of the prescribed parameters of the policy.

The remaining 19,905 teachers were found eligible for transfer. For the first time, computer teachers and various categories of education volunteers were brought into the ambit of the Teachers Transfer Policy.

Speaking on the occasion, Amarinder Singh said the unique Teachers Transfer Policy has been instrumental in successfully achieving the goal of quality education through filling of vacant posts.

This has helped in ensuring uninterrupted academic session, besides giving job satisfaction to the teachers to work at the places of their choice exclusively on merit.

He disclosed that the state government would soon enact the Teachers Transfer Act for transfer of teachers in place of the existing notification issued by the School Education Department.

The Chief Minister lauded various projects of the School Education department for sprucing up infrastructure and improving the quality of education in government schools.

He pointed out that Punjab has pioneered several path-breaking initiatives to bring in qualitative improvement in school education. The Teachers Transfer Policy, 2019, was also a major step in that direction.

Under the online system, more than 50 per cent transfer applications have been approved with utmost transparency.

As many as 10,099 teachers, including 3,748 primary teachers and 718 lecturers as well as adequate number of computer teachers working under Punjab Information and Communication Technology Education Society (PICTES) have availed the benefit of the policy, apart from different categories of education volunteers and education providers working under 'Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan'.

( With inputs from IANS )