What legal complications delaying promotions, transfers? ask TS teachers

Hyderabad: Telangana minister for education Sabitha Indra Reddy on Monday said steps are being taken to transfer and promote teachers without any legal complications. She was speaking at the Teachers' Day celebrations at Ravindra Bharathi in Hyderabad.

Following this, the Upadhyaya Sanghala Porata Committee (USPC), a group of 18 teachers' organisations in the state, asked what the legal complications were post the Presidential Order of 2018 and why are promotions and transfers of teachers delayed in Telangana.

Chava Ravi of the Telangana State United Teachers' Federation (TSUTF) said there would be no complications, not even legal ones, following the passage of the Presidential Order of 2018. Explaining the state of the education sector in Telangana, he said, "Almost, 95% of supervisory posts, including posts like mandal education officer, are vacant. Also, there has been no promotion for supervisory posts for the last 17 years. When it comes to high school headmasters and subject teachers, promotions have been pending since 2015, i.e., for the last seven years. Their transfers have been pending since 2018, i.e., for four years."

The USPC has repeatedly given representations to Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao and education minister Sabitha Indra Reddy. But there has been no positive action from their side to date, says USPC. They are also not clear about the reason for the delay.

According to USPC, on 10 March 2022, KCR directed the education department officials to release orders regarding transfers and promotions of government school teachers. In the same month, minister Sabitha Indra Reddy assured the USPC leaders that since it was exam time, the process would be taken up at the end of April 2022. On 25 April, she further assured to release the schedule for promotions and transfers within a week. The latest mockery of the teachers' association by the minister happened on 20 June when she said the schedule will be released the very next day.

"This is not just a demand for teachers' promotions and transfers but it is very closely related to the quality of education that we provide to the students," said Chava Ravi.

He also explained that teacher appointments are pending and several seats are vacant in government schools across the state. "In the high schools in the state, around 1,980 headmaster posts are vacant and around 8,000 subject teachers' posts are vacant. Similarly, 8,000 primary teachers' posts are also vacant across the state," added Ravi.