Teacher transfer requests flood in as restrictions lifted

Majority of reasons based on marriage, disability

RAWALPINDI:

Following the removal of restrictions on teacher transfers, a total of 18,059 applications have been submitted by male and female teachers across Punjab. Online scrutiny of these applications is now underway.

District Chakwal saw the highest number of transfer applications with 1,675 submissions, while District Chiniot recorded the lowest, with just 187 applications. Faisalabad district ranks second with 1,098 applications, followed by Bahawalnagar with 997. The majority of applications, 14,267, were submitted based on marriage, followed by 2,504 applications due to disability, 453 based on widowhood, 623 based on divorce, and 212 based on being a single parent.

In the Rawalpindi Division, the breakdown is as follows: Rawalpindi district submitted 955 transfer applications, Chakwal 1,675, Attock 473, and Jhelum 215. Lahore, the provincial capital, saw 331 applications, while Faisalabad, the second-largest district, had 1,098 submissions. Gujranwala and Multan districts received 658 and 376 applications, respectively.

Abdul Rauf Kayani, President of the Primary Elementary Secondary Teachers Association, and Muhammad Shafiq Bhalwalia, Central Secretary of the Punjab SES Teachers Association, hailed the 2024 transfer policy for addressing the hardships of teachers facing issues such as wedlock, divorce, widowhood, disability, serious illness, long commutes, and security threats. However, they raised concerns that some eligible teachers, particularly those in remote areas, may be overlooked, as the policy lacks clarity on critical issues.

One of the major concerns is the absence of a defined distance criterion, which they suggest should be set at 10 kilometres for female teachers and 15 kilometres for male teachers. Additionally, there is no specified authority for issuing medical certificates, nor is there clarity on whether treatment under a particular specialist is mandatory.

The vague nature of the transfer policy could result in eligible teachers being bypassed in favour of those with recommendations, as the policy limits transfers to only vacant posts, potentially leading to the rejection of 60 to 70 percent of applications.