Itanagar: Scores of government school teachers in Arunachal Pradesh have submitted medical certificates in a bid to avoid transfer orders issued under a recent directive empowering Deputy Commissioners (DCs) and Deputy Directors of School Education (DDSEs) to execute intra-district reshuffling of staff.
A large number of teachers, many of whom have served over eight years at their current postings, were seen gathered at the office of the education commissioner in Itanagar on Friday, seeking cancellation or modification of their transfers.
Health issues were the most commonly cited reason for exemption, with official sources confirming that the submitted certificates will be forwarded to the state Medical Board for verification.
The transfers stem from a May order by the department of education that delegated authority to district-level officials for streamlining teacher deployment within districts. The move has triggered widespread concern among affected teaching staff, particularly in Papumpare district and the Itanagar Capital Region.
The All Arunachal Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan Teachers Association (Papumpare district unit), in a representation submitted to the DDSE on June 6, expressed support for the goal of improving educational access in remote areas but urged reconsideration of certain transfers.
The association, however, noted that SSA/ISSE teachers face several hardships, such as lack of travel and house rent allowances and frequent salary delays, which would be exacerbated if posted to inaccessible locations.
The education department had also issued inter-district transfer orders on May 29 and June 2, affecting Trained Graduate Teachers (TGTs), Post Graduate Teachers (PGTs), Primary Teachers (PRTs), and non-teaching staff.
An official in the education department stressed the urgent need to deploy staff to underserved areas like Damin in Kurung Kumey and remote zones in Longding district bordering Myanmar, where several schools are running without any teachers.
“Persistent resistance to transfer orders by showing medical and other random reasons by the teachers are undermining our efforts to ensure equitable education,” the official said.
The education department has directed that transfers must not disrupt the academic session and advised officials to prioritise rationalisation by reassigning teachers from schools with zero enrollment.
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