Aiming optimal distribution of human resources in order to protect academic interest of students and to maximize job satisfaction amongst employees with a transparent and fair transfer policy, the Online Transfer Policy for school teachers approved by the State Government is now in public domain with the official notification of the policy on June 25, informed Mr. Vijay Inder Singla, Education Minister Punjab.This is a performance-based review policy for transfer of teachers and would become effective from academic session 2019-20.The Policy shall be applicable to all teaching Cadre Posts i.e. ETT, HT, CHT, Master, C&V, Lecturer and Vocational Masters, except employees on extension of services after attaining the age of superannuation. However, the posts of Ministerial Cadre, Block Officers, District Officers, Principal DIETs, School Head Masters and Principals shall not be covered under the policy.Speaking on the periodicity of the transfers, the Education Minister said that the General Transfers will be made only once in a year as notified by the Government for a given year. However, transfers can be affected by the Government at any time during the year in cases of administrative exigency (i.e. adverse PTR and disciplinary cases). Transfer/posting to the opted zone/school will not be claimed or treated as a matter of right.Elucidating the Time Table listed in the policy for the transfer process, Mr. Singla said that decision about opening of new schools, upgradation of schools/section, addition of new subject/streams and redistribution/ rationalization of teaching posts will be done from 1st December to 31st December, every year.This will be followed by Notification of "Actual Vacancies" from 1st January to 15th January. Eligible teachers will submit their choice of schools online, from 15th January to 15th February.
Transfer orders will be issued in the second week of March, every year and the joining will be in the first week of April.There may be any number of rounds of transfers with the condition that the whole process will be completed within one month from the date of inviting online applications for the transfers. Qualifying date for actual vacancies, point calculation, count of stay shall be 31st March every year.This schedule shall be adhered upon every year except the first year in which the online transfer policy is being implemented.Giving details on the point calculation system adopted for deciding the claim against vacancy, Education Minister said that decision of allotment to a vacancy shall be based on the total composite score of points earned by a teacher, out of 250 points. The teacher earning highest points shall be entitled to be transferred against a particular vacancy.Length of Service shall be the prime factor for deciding the claim of the teachers against a vacancy since it shall have weightage of 95 points. Besides Service Points in various zones or the Total length of service in Punjab Education Department, age factor would also be considered in a manner that a teacher having completed age of 48 years will get 1 mark, 49 years will get 2 marks and so on with 10 as the Maximum marks to be given considering the age of the teacher.However, to take care of categories like women, widows, widowers, differently abled persons, persons with serious ailments and well performing teachers, a privilege of maximum 50 points can be availed by the teachers of these categories.
Grading of school of posting, Annual Confidential Reports of the teachers etc being other areas to be considered and the average of last five years of results/reports will be considered, said he and added that Ward of a Teacher studying in Government school would fetch him another 15 marks.He said that the teachers taking any kind of leave more than 3 months during an academic year except maternity and child care leave are liable for negative points under the new Transfer Policy. Besides, if two teachers obtain same score calculated upto 6 decimal places and if one of them is a female, then female will get preference. In case, both are of the same gender then the one senior in service will have preference.Minimum stay at a particular school for seeking transfer shall be two year. For newly appointed teachers minimum stay in the school will be three years or probation period whichever is earlier. Applications seeking transfer received during the course of the year will not be entertained. Request for mutual transfers will be entertained at the time of general transfers only subject to the condition that both the employees seeking transfer should have achieved more than 125 points out of 250. However, in administrative exigency (i.e, adverse PTR and disciplinary cases), the Department shall be at liberty to post any teacher at any of the stations, in the interest of study of students.Informing about the category of teachers exempted from the transfer policy, the Minister said that it will not be applicable in case of those employees who are cancer patients/ on dialysis/ 60% and above handicap/ Hepatitis B/ Hepatitis C/ Sickle cell Anaemia/ Thalassemia / divorce/ persons having differently abled children or mentally challenged children/ War widow/ widow of Shaheed/ where death of the spouse makes it necessary for the serving employee to relocate to another place immediately and having children below 15 years of age or teachers who are spouses of armed force personnel who have been posted in difficult areas. In these cases there will not be any need to submit online transfer request. Orders in such cases shall be issued with the approval of Chief Minister on merits.The policy also states that the teachers transferred on administrative grounds will not be transferred back to same school from where they were transferred out on administrative grounds, informed Education Minister.