KSTA stages protest against transfer of leaders

The Kerala Administrative Tribunal (KAT) has stayed an order transferring two higher secondary teachers to Kasaragod for a period of one month. This follows a petition by the teachers who are leaders of the Kerala School Teachers’ Association (KSTA), seeking a stay on implementation of the transfer orders. The petitioners were seeking that they be allowed to continue in schools in Wayanad they were first transferred to.

Earlier in the day, KSTA staged a protest in front of the Directorate of General Education at Jagathy here and in various district headquarters against transfer of its leaders, alleging that the move was carried out in violation of norms. The protesters burned the transfer orders during the agitation. The transfers were intended to settle political scores, the KSTA alleged, demanding that they be rolled back.

The organisation alleged that its State secretary P.J. Binesh and Wayanad district joint secretary Wilson Thomas had been transferred to Kasaragod after orders were issued shifting them to Wayanad. Both were on deputation at the Samagra Shiksha Kerala and had applied for a return to their home district. As per a government order issued in 2017, employees at the end of their deputation should be posted to their home district. Accordingly, orders had been issued by the then DGE transferring them to schools in Wayanad where vacancies existed. However, when they were about to join, they were told that the directorate had given instructions that they should not be allowed to join.

Five days after their transfer to Wayanad, those orders were cancelled and they were transferred to Kasaragod. Mr. Thomas, the KSTA pointed out, had only one year left for retirement. Many court verdicts had underscored that staff with a year of service remaining should be given transfers to their home districts if vacancies exist, the KSTA said.

Moreover, these two transfers were conditional and the teachers were required to move out once the general online transfer process for higher secondary teachers was conducted. However, even the temporary transfers were later cancelled, the association alleged. The protest held in front of the directorate here was inaugurated by KSTA secretary A. Najeeb. Its State secretary P.V. Rajesh addressed the gathering. KSTA district vice-president E. Ismail presided over the function, while district secretary R. Vidyavinod spoke.