Petty allegations, teacher transfer issues mar Edn dept

Hyderabad : Believe it or not! At a time when the State government is talking tall about infusing global standards into the state's educational system, here is a classic example of how petty things are plaguing the functioning of government schools.

If the goings on are to be believed, the allegation is that the Adilabad District Education Officer (DEO) was reportedly angry with the husband of a lady teacher, and reduced the lady teacher’s transfer points, which prevented her from getting transferred to the school she opted for. That apart, TS UTF president and general secretary K Jangaiah and Chava Ravi, alleged that in Mahbubabad, injustice was meted out by giving promotions to men in SC women's roster points. "Even with the intervention of Director of School Education (DSE), the affected teachers did not get the schools they were supposed to get transferred to."

The duo further alleged that there are allegations of misconduct by deputing a teacher for clerical work in the office against the provisions of the Right to Education Act. The teachers are protesting on a large scale demanding action against the irregularities of the DEO.

Against this backdrop, the UTF leaders demanded the State Education Secretary conduct a thorough investigation into the allegations and take action against the erring DEOs.

Another issue that the teacher's union flagged was that it was 40 days after the transfer and promotion process had been completed.

"The process was transparent in the web counselling method. But due to some technical reasons, mistakes of officials, lack of time, and lack of understanding some errors were cropped up." To resolve this, the education department has given a week's deadline for appeals to the teachers.

They added some teachers have appealed that they have suffered a loss. As the appeals have not been resolved even after 40 days, the teachers are constantly roaming around the DSE. "Some were relieved in the old station and joined in the new station, and some others were not relieved. Others have joined the new station and some are waiting for the resolution of their appeal."

It is not even a week since Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy addressed a mammoth gathering of government school teachers at LB Stadium urging them to partner with the State government to lay a strong foundation for the future generations of Telangana. Given the petty allegations and skirmishes in the transfer of teachers, one wonders – Is it the culture of education that produces thinking minds, or just the English medium and construction of grand buildings alone that bring global standards into the education system?