Karwar: Office bearers of State Primary School Teachers’ Association District Unit staged a silent protest in the City on Saturday, urging the State government to speed up the transfer process among teachers.

The agitators took out a protest rally from Deputy Director of Public Instruction (DDPI) office to deputy commissioner’s office, where the members submitted a memorandum to the State government through the District Administration.

The protesters demanded that teachers transfer issue has been pending for the last three years. So, the government must re-start the transfer of teachers. As transfers are not done, teachers serving in remote villages are in serious trouble. There seems to be a lobby in stopping the transfer process, as teachers, who have served for more than 10 years in the same place have to be transferred, while there should be an interchange of rural and urban schools for 5% of teachers among them, they added.

The promotion process was completely stopped among the teachers. As per the 2017 Teachers’ transfer rules, the process of transferring teachers should be completed by March and April. However, so far the State government has not initiated the process.

Teachers affected

But, citing various reasons including assembly elections, the government did not start the teacher’s transfer process. This has affected thousands of teachers who were seeking transfers.

After giving a series of memoranda to the government and higher officials of the department, the government in writing had stated that it would start the transfer process in March last year itself, they said and added that unfortunately, the government and the department have failed to keep up to their promises.

They said, the teachers who have completed graduation should be given promotion. Already, the government has completed two rounds of recruitment for graduated teachers and a fresh notification has been issued inviting applications from graduates for 10,000 primary teachers post. If the interviews are held and postings are made, it would be an injustice for 
the graduated teachers, they said.

The government, before starting the recruitment, should give promotions to deserving teachers, they demanded.

They asked the government to withdraw the New Pension Scheme (NPS). By doing so, thousands of government teachers families will be protected.

Injustice

Injustice is being done to the teachers, who are being promoted on the basis of service years. Hence, according to the Sixth Pay Commission, an order should be issued for providing financial assistance of 10, 15, 20, and 25 years for the promoted headmasters, they stressed.

All facilities should be given to the teachers, who have been dismissed from the service by making use of the rural weight-age facilities. Their service should be considered and facilities should be given to them, they said and added that teachers should be made free from additional responsibilities like BLO and other academic works.

Association members Narayan Gaonkar, N S Naik, M G Naik, Shankar Nayak, Rathnakar Naik and others were present on the occasion.