Friday, October 18, 2024

RTI Activist Says Edu Deptt Fails to Provide Information on Teacher Transfers in Bandipora

Kashmir Convener: Srinagar: Friday, 18 October 2024.
A local RTI (Right to Information) activist Gh Nabi Mir has submitted an appeal before the First Appellate Authority after the Public Information Officer (PIO) of the Education Department of Bandipora allegedly failed to provide requested information regarding teacher transfers and issues within the district’s education system.
The activist, who has been closely monitoring the workings of the education department, raised serious concerns about what he described as widespread mismanagement, which is allegedly putting the future of students in jeopardy.
According to the activist, numerous schools in Bandipora are suffering from a lack of teachers, despite a recent “rationalization” process supposedly designed to address staffing imbalances in schools located in remote areas.
However, the activist claims that the rationalization process has been misused. “The Chief Education Officer (CEO) is transferring teachers to their preferred places of posting, neglecting the needs of understaffed schools,” he said. “There are still schools operating with only one teacher, while others are overloaded with staff. The transfers seem to be based on favoritism rather than genuine educational needs.”
He further alleged that many of the transfers are being conducted verbally, bypassing the official channels and procedures. “The CEO’s office claims that the rationalization is done to benefit higher-reach schools, but the reality is that they are only conducting man-to-man transfers for favored teachers. This is deeply concerning and shows a lack of transparency in the process,” the activist added.
Despite filing a request under the RTI Act, seeking detailed information about the transfers and the rationale behind them, the PIO has failed to provide the necessary documents or explanations.
“It seems like they are hiding the facts. The PIO has ignored my request for information, which only raises further suspicions about the irregularities taking place within the department,” the activist stated.
The Information Seeker has now filed an official appeal with the First Appellate Authority, demanding that the education department be held accountable for the lack of transparency.
Local residents and civil society members have echoed the activist’s concerns, urging the authorities to take swift action to address the deep-rooted issues plaguing the district’s education sector.