The West Bengal School Education Department has temporarily put on hold the transfer of 374 teaching and non-teaching staff to distant locations across state-run and state-aided schools. The decision to pause the controversial transfer orders comes in the wake of ongoing protests regarding the annulment of jobs for around 26,000 teachers, following a Supreme Court ruling.
A senior official from the School Education Department confirmed that the “surplus transfer” order, initially aimed at addressing staffing imbalances across schools, had been paused. The goal of the transfer was to correct disparities in staffing among schools and ensure the proper distribution of teachers and staff for the benefit of students. However, the official refrained from providing a specific reason for halting the transfer process at this time.
Despite the pause on the transfers, the official clarified that 605 other staff members had already completed their transfer process, but they had not yet been instructed to report to their new postings. The announcement comes shortly after the Supreme Court invalidated the appointments of approximately 26,000 teachers and non-teaching staff recruited through the 2016 School Service Commission exams.
Criticism and Relief for Teachers
The move to put the transfers on hold has been met with mixed reactions. Chandan Maity, president of the Advanced Society for Headmasters and Headmistresses, criticized the department’s decision to issue the transfer orders without filling vacant teaching posts in both urban and rural areas. He described the transfers, which forced teachers—many of them women—to travel up to 300 kilometers from their residences, as arbitrary and impractical. He also pointed out that despite the introduction of a portal for teacher postings within 50 kilometers of their homes, these transfers were still being enforced.
On the other hand, Swapan Mondal, general secretary of the Bengal Teaching-Non Teaching Committee, welcomed the decision to pause the transfers. Mondal stated that many teachers had been facing severe hardships due to the sudden moves to far-off locations, and the suspension of the process would bring much-needed relief to those affected.
Contempt Notice and Ongoing Legal Challenges
In a separate legal development, five teaching and non-teaching staff whose appointments were invalidated by the Calcutta High Court in 2024 filed a contempt notice against senior officials of the Education Department. The notice, sent on April 9, accuses the Principal Secretary of the Education Department, the SSC Chairman, and the President of the West Bengal Board of Secondary Education of allowing many of the 26,000 invalidated staff members to continue working despite the Supreme Court’s order.
The complainants, including Babita Sarkar, Nasreen Khatun, Setabuddin, Lakshmi Tunga, and Abdul Gani Ansari, alleged that these staff members were continuing to attend work in violation of the Supreme Court’s directive.
CM and Education Minister’s Appeal
On April 7, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee addressed the school staff whose appointments were annulled, urging them to continue working and offer “voluntary service” to avoid any “break in service” during future court proceedings. Education Minister Bratya Basu echoed the Chief Minister’s appeal on April 11, asking the affected staff to maintain their connection with the schools and students, even though their jobs were under legal scrutiny.
As the situation continues to unfold, both teachers and officials remain in a tense stand-off, with many awaiting further clarity from the state government on how the issue will be resolved. The temporary halt on transfers has, however, provided some relief for the affected school staff as they await further developments in their legal and professional futures.
Sources By Agencies