Teachers of the Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan (KVS) in Hyderabad are unhappy with the Centre’s new transfer policy and are demanding changes. They staged a protest at the school premises wearing black badges to express their concerns. The teachers pointed out that the KVS headquarters in New Delhi has issued four transfer guidelines in the last five years, causing confusion and difficulties for teachers. They also highlighted that around 50% of teacher positions in Telugu States are vacant, but transfers are being carried out without filling those vacancies.
One major issue with the recent transfer policy is the lack of provisions for “on request” or “intra-station transfers”. The possibility of mutual transfers between willing teachers has also been eliminated. The All-India State president of KVS, Chandrasekhar Reddy, stated that if they don’t receive clarification from the headquarters, they plan to stage a larger protest. He emphasized the importance of prioritizing the transfer of teachers posted in NER (North Eastern Region) and hard stations.
Another concern raised by teachers is the displacement of teachers who have less than three years left until retirement (LTR). They believe that these teachers should not be displaced under any circumstances. They also propose exempting PWD teachers/NTS (Persons with Disabilities/Non-Teaching Staff) from displacement.
A teacher from KV expressed their dissatisfaction with the new policy, stating that it has many loopholes. They specifically mentioned the compulsory displacement after a stay of 10 years at a station as an issue. They believe that teachers should be allowed to stay at a station and not be forcefully displaced. They also criticized the definition of “station” in the transfer policy, which only includes towns/cities/metropolises designated by KVS with a unique code. This definition disregards the situation of spouses or employees working at a considerable distance and staying together. The teachers are considering filing a petition in court if they do not receive clarity on these matters.
