Editor,

We, the genuinely transfer-affected teachers, would like to raise a serious and painful question before our parental organisations - the Arunachal Teachers' Association (ATA) and the Confederation of Service Associations of Arunachal Pradesh (CoSAAP): Where are you when your members genuinely need you?

A number of teachers have been badly affected by the recent rationalisation transfer process carried out through the Teachers Registry Portal (TRP). Many of these teachers have genuine and documented grounds that deserve consideration, including non-completion of the mandatory posting tenure, census duty, BLO duty, nearing retirement, and other legitimate circumstances.

We are not questioning legitimate transfers. Teachers who are genuinely eligible for transfer should proceed according to the rules. Our concern is about those teachers whose genuine representations for exemption or reconsideration are still pending.

At this critical juncture, when affected teachers are looking towards their parental organisations for support, intervention and guidance, their continued silence is deeply disappointing. Where is the voice of the organisations that are supposed to represent and protect the legitimate interests of their members?

The department is reportedly directing the DDSEs to proceed with the release of teachers without first ensuring that every genuine representation has been properly examined and responded to. Is this fair?

At the very least, a teacher who has submitted a genuine representation supported by documentary evidence deserves to have that representation heard, examined and decided on before being compelled to move.

We respectfully ask the leadership of the ATA and the CoSAAP: If not now, then when? If not for genuinely affected members, then for whom?

A parental organisation need not interfere with legitimate administrative decisions or genuine transfers. But when a section of its members is facing serious hardship and claiming that their documented grounds for exemption have not been properly considered, silence cannot be the only response.

If organisations exist to represent the collective interests of their members, then their relevance is felt most strongly during difficult times - not only during peaceful and routine periods.

We therefore earnestly appeal to the ATA and the CoSAAP to come forward, examine the genuine grievances of the affected teachers, engage with the competent authorities, and seek a fair resolution.

We are not asking these organisations to oppose legitimate transfers. We are asking them to ensure that genuine cases are heard and justice is not denied merely because an administrative release process has already begun.

If a situation arises where genuine members desperately need organisational intervention and yet receive no meaningful support, it naturally raises a larger question about the very purpose of organisational representation and membership.

An organisation is strongest when it stands with its members when they genuinely need a voice.

We hope that the ATA and the CoSAAP will hear this appeal and intervene constructively before further hardship is caused to genuinely affected teachers.

Genuinely transfer-affected teachers