Malik Sumeed
Srinagar 11 September (KNB): Government schools in Machil sector falling in Kupwara district have been suffering from attrition of teaching staff under a new policy of Annual Transfer Drive (ATD) 2021, via which the staff of institutions is supposed to rejig every year, helping in to eliminate disparity among students and teachers ratio.
When it comes to government schools of Machil, KNB learned from some lecturers/ALC teachers that the ATD has been at odds with the things it was supposed to attain.
One of the lecturers said that as per an School Education Department order, the process of teacher/lecturers’ transfers should have been completed in February, which would have made teachers to join their new institutions on time.
“It is the month of September now and only ATD lists are coming out in fits and starts. Under the ATD, the government schools from where some teachers/masters/lecturers after getting transferred suffer from attrition in Machil, as barely any replacement has been made at the vacant places,” said a lecturer on the basis of anonymity.
He said that the new policy is proving counterproductive and it has so far left various government schools with a miniscule of teaching staff. “If the policy was made then it should have been implemented properly so that the students would be benefited from it and schools too did not remain vacant,” said the lecturer. .
However, in one of the schools in Machil, there are only four teachers as of now teaching to students after a lecturer and a master were transferred under the ATD from the school. Later, no one was placed in the school to fill the vacant places, as per one of the ALC teachers.
Another lecturer said that in third zones (border areas), transfers of the teachers in the schools lying in the areas are made for only one year. He further said that many teachers are now on duty in government schools of Machil, which comes under the third zone, for more than one year.
They said that the teachers’ one-year placement in the third zone, which is told to them before their transfers, is often not followed rather than extended. “It creates apprehension among other lecturers/teachers, who later hesitate to attend their duties in such places, resulting in a negative impact on the students’ studies,” said the lecturers.
KNB on contacting Director School Education Kashmir, Tassaduq Hussain Mir, regarding the matter, was not available for comment. (KNB)