New Delhi: Acting on the orders of Lt Governor V K Saxena, the Delhi government on Monday directed that the transfer of 5,000 school teachers, who have been posted in the same school for more than 10 years, be kept in abeyance.
Saxena on Sunday asked Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar to keep the transfer orders in abeyance as an interim measure after a delegation of Delhi BJP leaders and representatives of teachers met the L-G in his office.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) claimed that the transfer orders were a "conspiracy" of the BJP, while the Congress slammed both the ruling party and BJP over the issue.
At a press conference here, Delhi Education Minister Atishi said, "Our dispensation in Delhi has transformed government schools in the last 10 years. The results of students here have set records. The BJP could not digest this change and hence a conspiracy was hatched to transfer teachers to ruin this education revolution." She congratulated the people of Delhi after the transfer orders were kept in abeyance.
"Today Delhi's teachers and Delhiites have won. Teachers, students and their parents were worried after this transfer order. I had promised the teachers, students and parents that we would not let Delhi's education revolution go to waste.
"I am happy that today the BJP had to withdraw this order through its L-G," she added.
Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva hit back, saying Atishi and his predecessor Manish Sisodia "badly damaged" the school education system in the city.
"The BJP never wants to do politics on the functioning of the education department. But Atishi has forced us to put in the public domain how the (Arvind) Kejriwal government has damaged the education system of Delhi," he said.
Sachdeva alleged that a large number of school teachers were tasked with non-teaching work, leading to the deterioration of the teacher-student ratio.
He alleged a lack of facilities at schools of specialised education, students forcibly failed in classes nine and 11, and misuse of funds for employing AAP cadre in schools as estate managers and contractual clerks.
In an official order, the education department said it had received several representations in the matter of the recent transfer orders issued by the Directorate of Education (DoE), pertaining to teachers who have been posted in the same school for more than 10 years.
"After going through the representations and listening to the delegations, the competent authority has decided to constitute an appropriate committee, comprising representatives of all stakeholders and experts, to take a holistic, sympathetic and fair view in the matter," it said.
"Therefore, till further orders, the transfer orders of teachers issued on 02.07.2024 are kept in abeyance. Postings of all such teachers are restored as on 01.07.2024," it said.
AAP MLA Dilip Pandey echoed similar views as Atishi and demanded action against officers who were behind the transfer orders.
"Somewhere in this matter, errors were committed by officers. Despite directions from Education Minister Atishi, they were involved in issuing the orders. I would request Atishi to identify these officers and action should be taken against them," he said.
A circular titled 'Online requests for transfer of teaching staff of the Directorate of Education' by the DoE on June 11 directed all teachers who have served for more than 10 years in one school to compulsorily apply for a transfer, failing which they will be transferred to any school by the DoE.
A few days ago, Atishi had instructed the chief secretary to immediately stop the mandatory transfer of the teachers who have been teaching in the same school for more than 10 years, following allegations of corruption in the transfer process.
Meanwhile, the Government Schools Teachers Association (GSTA) slammed the Delhi government's education model.
At a press conference, GSTA General Secretary Ajay Veer Yadav said the appointment of teachers is meant for teaching only, and if students do not perform well, the teachers are held accountable.
"The government introduced many curricula such as happiness, business and others which waste teaching periods, he said.
Yadav also mentioned that there were major complications over the transfer of teachers in Delhi and it was only after meeting the L-G that they got relief. He also called for an investigation into every scheme of the Education Department.
Delhi Congress president Devender Yadav said it was very surprising that Atishi had no clue about the transfer of 5,000 school teachers under her department.
"The transfer drama was enacted to divert people's attention from the core issues affecting them such as water shortage, waterlogging, poor sanitation and widespread corruption due to the inaction and inefficiency of the Delhi government," he said.
Yadav said the AAP and the BJP have turned a routine procedure like the transfer of teachers into a political slugfest with the L-G intervening to stop the transfers as it was ill-timed when schools had been reopened after the summer break.
"If the bureaucrats were not listening to the orders of the minister, it only exposes the administrative incompetence of the minister. On each and every issue, Atishi has been making a public hue and cry, instead of taking effective steps to tackle the issues affecting the people," he claimed.