The e-transfer of teachers introduced by the current regime is a landmark achievement on the part of those who are at the helms of educational affairs. The digitalized transfer policy is being hailed widely by the entire teaching community because, in Orwellian terms, those who were 'more equal' would be better placed to transfer themselves at a station of their own choice whereas those who were 'less equal' would find it an uphill task even to apply for their transfer. So, with the launch of e-transfer the monopoly of pressure groups regarding the transfer of teachers received a severe blow. It is no less than a boon especially for those who have no political affiliations. In the past, only those teachers enjoyed the privilege of transfer who had some political clout, or who had been in position of greasing the palms of those involved in the transfer procedures. Then there were innumerable loopholes in the transfer process.
In the first place, the vacant posts of teachers were only known to those few teachers who would have some kind of 'links' with the officials working in the office. Otherwise, for many only getting the information about the exact vacancy position was tantamount to cutting the Gordian knot. Furthermore, teachers had to face many hurdles owing to the red-tape which is rampant in various departments. To collect data and to complete their transfer files, they had to go from one office to another which was a daunting task. Compared to the past transfer policies and procedures, e-transfer isa cake-walk. Now, any teacher can apply for his/her transfer in a hassle-free manner. All they need to get themselves transferred is a smartphone. Now, they have to type basic information in a computer-generated proforma and with just one click, their transfer application is submitted and after due process, they receive the merit-based feedback on their cell-phones. It goes without mentioning that a teacher works more efficiently if s/he is given a comfortable and conducive environment and this is possible only when s/he is allowed to teach at a school which is convenient to him/her in terms of the distance from his/her house and a team with which s/he feels at home. Hopefully, this initiative on the part of the government will go a long way in enhancing the performance of the teachers and which will ultimately lead to improving the standard of education across the province.
Muhammad Fayyaz Nawrha
Mianwali