Bhubaneswar, 5th Sept 2025:A meeting of the Odisha Legislative Assembly Standing Committee-4 was held on Wednesday under the chairmanship of MLA Purnachandra Sethy. During the meeting, the committee members strongly opposed the recommendations of MLAs and MPs in the transfer process of teachers. The primary focus of the discussion was to stop the interference of public representatives in teacher transfers.
Earlier, even the High Court had issued directives against the influence of public representatives in such matters. Currently, MLAs and MPs have the authority to recommend the transfer of 15 teachers each, which has led to a chaotic situation.
The School and Mass Education Department is now seriously considering stopping the recommendation-based transfer system. As per information, the Standing Committee had already submitted a proposal to a high-level committee formed in the education sector. This high-level committee is chaired by Additional Chief Secretary Surendra Kumar.
The High Court has already issued orders against transfer recommendations made by public representatives. According to the current policy, MLAs and MPs were allowed to recommend the transfer of 15 eligible teachers within their constituencies. However, this provision led to a flood of transfer applications — thousands were received for just 15 spots — creating undue pressure on the public representatives.
As complaints started pouring in, especially from two affected teachers who approached the High Court, a major crowd started gathering around MLAs, lobbying for transfer support. This situation pushed the MLAs and MPs into a dilemma, prompting detailed discussions in the committee meeting.
The Standing Committee is likely to recommend the withdrawal of this policy to the School and Mass Education Department. Present at the meeting were MLAs Ganeshwar Behera, Badrinarayan Patra, Amarendra Das, Saroj Padhi, Sagar Das, and other officials.
On the other hand, the School and Mass Education Department is actively evaluating options to stop political recommendations in the teacher transfer process. Committee Chairman Shri Sethy stated that once the general public became aware that MLAs could influence transfers, many began trying to exert influence through various means, pressuring the elected representatives.
“In my opinion, this is not necessary,” said Sethy. “Rather, transfers should be made strictly according to rules and regulations, ensuring fairness and transparency.”