Odisha Government Empowers Elected Officials to Recommend Teacher Transfers

New Guidelines for Teacher Transfers in Odisha

Bhubaneswar: The government of Odisha has granted authority to elected representatives to recommend the transfer of up to 15 teachers from primary and secondary schools within their constituencies, as per a notification released by the School and Mass Education (S&ME) Department on Tuesday.

The notification states, “After thorough consideration, the government has decided to allow Hon’ble MPs and MLAs to suggest up to fifteen (15) deserving cases for teacher transfers (including both Elementary and Secondary) relevant to their constituency, to the respective District Collector for processing by the District Level Transfer Committee (DLTC) during this transfer period.”

However, there are specific conditions set forth for the Members of the Legislative Assembly and Members of Parliament.

According to the S&ME department's notification, recommendations must adhere to the principle of rationalization, with priority given to teachers in urgent need of transfer.

Transfers from rural to urban areas are prohibited, and elected officials can only propose transfers within the same district.

The notification further clarifies, “This discretion is limited to intra-district transfers only. Proposals from Hon’ble MPs/MLAs should be directed to the relevant District Collector and will be managed by the DLTC. If a Parliamentary Constituency (PC) spans multiple districts, proposals will be sent to the Nodal Collector (Returning Officer of that PC) with notifications to other Collectors within that PC’s jurisdiction for processing by their respective DLTCs.”

Additionally, Rajya Sabha MPs are advised to forward their recommendations to the Director of Secondary Education, who will then relay the list to the respective Collectors with notifications to the Director of Elementary Education for processing by the DLTCs.

The Odisha government has mandated that all proposals must be submitted and resolved during the designated transfer session, which runs from May 15 to June 15.

This provision is a temporary measure, applicable solely for the current academic year.

A similar directive was issued by the previous BJD-led government in 2021, permitting elected representatives to recommend the transfer of up to 10 primary and secondary school teachers within their constituencies for the 2021-2022 academic year.