Primary teachers threaten fast unto death for transfer demand

Yavatmal: Bhagyashree Jadhav is a primary teacher in a remote village in Mahur tehsil of Nanded district. Bhagyashree, whose family stays at Pusad in Yavatmal district, had sought inter-district transfer as her daughter Aavni had to undergo an open heart surgery when she was only one year at Savangi-based Datta Meghe Medical College. However, her application is pending with the Yavatmal Zilla Parishad (ZP) education department. Bhagyashee’s husband Indrajeet runs a mobile phone store in Pusad. Aavni, now 3.5 years old, had her heart on the right side instead of left, condition since birth. Bhagyashee is one of the over 58 primary teachers whose applications are pending with the Yavatmal ZP education department for the last five years.
The state government had issued a GR on September 29, 2011, which gave powers to the ZP CEOs to take necessary action regarding inter-district transfers. The government had laid out a few guidelines in this regard. The ZP CEOs have to complete the procedures before March 31 every year.
A delegation of teachers led by president of ZP High School Teachers Union Sahebrao Pawar and state president of ‘Shikshak Antar Zilla Badali Kruti Samiti’ KP Dambhare on Thursday met chief executive officer of Yavatmal ZP Dr Mallinath Kalshetti and apprised him of the sufferings the teachers, their young kids and families are undergoing. The delegation also submitted a memorandum of demands, including immediate transfer of spouses working across the state.
The aggrieved teachers threatened to launch a fast unto death agitation along with their families from April 11 if their demands are not met before April 10.
Narrating his plight to TOI, Ramkrishna Kendre a Gadchiroli Zilla Parishad employee, said his wife is a primary teacher at Umarkhed under Yavatmal ZP. Their daughter Vanshika had to undergo an open heart surgery due a hole in her heart. “She was operated at Pune when she was only 10 months old.”
Another teacher Dnyaneshwar Kendre works under Yavatmal ZP and his wife under Nandurbar ZP. Dnyaneshwar said, “I can take only three casual leaves. If I want to go to Nandurbar to meet my wife, I have to travel for 12-14 hours and rush back to Yavatmal to join duty. If my wife has to meet she too has to make the same adjustment,” he added.
The state government had issued a GR on September 29, 2011, which gave powers to the ZP CEOs to take necessary action regarding inter-district transfers. The government had laid out a few guidelines in this regard. The ZP CEOs have to complete the procedures before March 31 every year.
ZP Education Officer Dr Sujita Patekar said, “We are working on the ‘Roster and Sanch Mannyata’ to expedite the inter district transfer cases.” However, she said the inter-district transfers are being done from Mantralaya online.
The CEO says there is the requirement of 500 odd teachers in Yavatmal ZP while there are only 230 applicants, of whom 175 are keen to go out of Yavatmal district.