NRO says mass transfer of teachers in Orissa’s KBK may back fire once again

Orissadiary.com, May 28, 2010
Report by Orissadiary correspondent; Bhubaneswar: Non-resident Oriya and well known academic Digambara Patra raises concern over mass transfer of teachers in Orissa’s KBK. He says this decision of Orissa Government may back fire once again.


Patra in a letter to CM says, I am very surprised to learn that mass transfer of Government college teachers by the Department of Higher Education in Orissa also includes KBK districts.

Although it appears to be a welcome and good decision by the state Government for the general public of the state, especially referring to those teachers (i) who are indulge in lobbying & politics at the state capital,

(ii) interested in private tuitions & coaching centers in Cuttack-Bhubaneswar region, and (iii) who are not taking their job seriously because of being the spouses of influential bureaucrats or the relatives of politicians at Bhubaneswar and staying in state capital region by applying political/bureaucratic pressure, unfortunately at the end when things returns to normal many similar decisions on mass transfer of teachers by the state Government during Biju Patnaik and various other Governments have worked against the interest of various colleges in KBK region.

This is not the first time such political hullaballoo is being adopted by Department of Higher Education in the state; statistics from the past experience indicates such mass transfer has not done anything good for KBK districts in long run.

There are many instances, particularly in KBK districts such as in Government Autonomous College, Bhawanipatna (GACB), after implementation of mass transfer the incumbents of the office are getting their transfer easily and the substitutes never join. College like GACB will be worst sufferer as per the past statistics if such mass transfer will be implemented in KBK.

Problem of teaching staff is large in KBK district, in this event why it is justified to include those colleges in mass transfer who have been suffering since decades?

At this moment GACB has suffered more than 55% vacancies of the total sanctioned teaching posts and nearly 80% of non – teaching posts since last 7 – 8 years. Vacancy of teaching staff in Government

Women’s College Bhawanipatna is more than 60%. In addition, there is no regular Principal in GACB since a decade. Senior most teachers who are on the verge of their retirement use to remain in-charge of the office.

Maximum teaching posts of GACB remained vacant from 2005, just after the College obtained C.P.E status. Department of Higher Education indiscriminately started transfer from this College disregarding the U.G.C norms and conditions that teachers of C.P.E College should not be transferred for three years from the date of the effect of C.P.E.

Probability of getting meritorious guest faculties is also very poor in the colleges of KBK districts and the situation is much worst in Kalahandi and Nuapada.

Since mass transfer has not worked in favor of KBK in the past in long run, following guidelines could have been better adopted by the state Government.

(1) When a teacher is not interested for transfer from KBK districts and there is no allegation against him/her by the Principal or Students, carrying out research activities such as guiding M.Phil students, and doing his/her job satisfactorily, then there is no point of disturbing such teachers even he/she has served more than six years in the same college in KBK districts.

(2) If any interested teacher, which is more probable, is transferred from KBK zone, he/ she should not be relieved until his/her reliever joins the post regularly without taking any kind of leaves. Past experience in KBK districts gives us realization that teachers who are forcefully transferred to KBK districts often joins the institute/college but takes long leave in various other conditions specified in the state Government norms & regulations, and after few months or a year when things returns back to normal they succeed in going back to the place of their interest through various channels without even serving for a single lecture in KBK districts.

(3) All the vacant posts including the post of Principal in KBK districts should be first filled before adopting any transfer from KBK districts for those who are interested to move out of KBK.

(4) All the posts, both teaching and non-teaching, should be filled in priority basis in KBK districts.

Recently, Tamil Nadu Government has adopted a (non-official) liberal evaluation for rural students compared to urban students in +2 examinations to promote students in rural areas, though there are no official written  guidelines for it. Similarly, there is no more entrance tests in Tamil Nadu for medical and engineering seats and the selection of candidates are based on +2 marks. By adopting a liberal approach for rural students, many students from rural area in Tamil Nadu could able to find seats in Government medical and engineering colleges in their state, who may be inclined more to serve in their respective rural areas than urban cities like Chennai. Why such a policy cannot be applied, at least, for KBK districts in Orissa?

He hopes instead of further making the situation worst, mass transfer of teachers should not be adopted in colleges in KBK districts before solving the existing problems.