Bihar government puts new transfer policy for teachers on hold: Education Minister

Bihar government delays new teacher transfer policy amid concerns, to be revised for fairness and practicality.

The Bihar government has put the implementation of the new transfer policy for teachers on hold, amid growing resentment among them, a minister said.

The transfer policy was initially scheduled to be rolled out in December.

Talking to reporters here on Tuesday (November 19, 2024), state Education Minister Sunil Kumar said, “The transfer and posting of teachers will be done together for all the teachers…This will be executed only after completion of five competency tests for old teachers appointed through Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) and urban local bodies in the state.”

He also said the government might bring certain changes in the policy to prevent inequality. “The policy that will be introduced in the future will be in the interest of teachers,” the minister said.

“There are certain practical problems in the current policy, which will be removed soon,” Mr. Kumar said without divulging the anomalies in the current policy, which created resentment among the teachers.

Incidentally, the decision was taken in a day when the Patna High Court heard a bunch of petitions challenging the transfer policy.

The court asked the state government to file its reply by the next date of hearing on January 21.