ITANAGAR, 1 Oct: The Confederation of Service Associations of Arunachal Pradesh (CoSAAP) has expressed serious concern over the grievances of teachers arising from the recent transfer and posting exercise undertaken by the education department and urged the competent authorities to immediately examine and dispose of all genuine representations submitted by affected teachers.
CoSAAP appreciated the efforts of the state government and the education department to bring transparency, accountability and rationalisation into the transfer and posting system. However, the Confederation expressed concern that teachers who have submitted representations supported by valid documents are still awaiting proper redressal.
The representations reportedly include cases involving serious medical grounds, non-completion of the prescribed tenure at the present place of posting, spouse joint transfer & posting, teachers assigned to election and census-related duties, and other genuine and exceptional circumstances.
CoSAAP said that transfer and posting is an administrative necessity and employees are required to serve wherever their services are needed. At the same time, it said, the implementation of any transfer policy should be fair, transparent, humane and consistent with the provisions of the applicable rules and policy.
"When an employee submits a genuine representation supported by valid documents, the same deserves proper examination and a reasoned decision by the competent authority," CoSAAP said.
It added that keeping such cases pending for a prolonged period creates uncertainty, affects the morale of teachers and may cause unnecessary mental stress and hardship to employees and their families.
CoSAAP expressed particular concern over cases where teachers claim that they have not completed the prescribed tenure at their present place of posting. Such cases, it said, should be carefully verified with reference to the relevant provisions of the Transfer and Posting Act and applicable policy before a final decision is taken.
Similarly, representations submitted on genuine medical grounds should be examined sympathetically on the basis of appropriate medical documents through medical boards, it said.
Teachers who have been officially assigned as BLOs, census personnel, ANO/CTO or for other important government duties also deserve due consideration so that one government assignment does not create administrative difficulty in complying with another, CoSAAP said.
The Confederation appealed to the education minister, secretary education and all concerned authorities to constitute or activate an appropriate mechanism for the time-bound scrutiny and disposal of all pending representations. Cases supported by genuine and verifiable documents may be reviewed on priority and appropriate corrective measures taken wherever justified, it said.
CoSAAP further appealed that affected teachers should be clearly informed about the outcome of their representations. A transparent and reasoned disposal mechanism, it said, would not only provide relief to genuine cases but also strengthen the credibility of the existing policy pertaining to transfer and posting.