Changes Likely in MPO Teacher Transfer Policy, Fresh Applications May Be Invited

Changes may be made to the transfer policy for MPO-listed teachers working at private schools, colleges, madrasas and technical education institutions. Some participants have also suggested inviting applications afresh after the policy is revised. The issue was discussed preliminarily at a meeting held at the International Mother Language Institute on Wednesday, but no decision was made on which provisions of the policy would be amended.

Speaking to officials from the Ministry of Education, the three directorates and several heads of educational institutions who attended the meeting, The Daily Campus learned that participants raised several issues, including transfers to teachers' home districts, complexities surrounding equivalent institutions, transfers for all MPO-listed teachers, incorrect vacancy demands and the option to edit applications. Most officials expressed support for resolving some of these complications.

According to sources, ministry officials said the existing policy would need to be amended to address the problems. A policy decision was reportedly made to revise the rules before publishing the transfer results. Some participants also suggested inviting fresh applications after the amendments.

A participant who attended the meeting told The Daily Campus on condition of anonymity, “There will be some changes to the teachers' transfer policy. It is too early to say whether fresh applications will be invited after the policy is revised. If major changes are made to the policy, there is a possibility of inviting new applications. However, fresh applications may not be invited either. A decision will be made after discussing the issues once Abdul Khaleque, senior secretary of the Secondary and Higher Education Division, returns to the country.”

The important meeting on teachers' transfers began at 3:30pm on Wednesday at the International Mother Language Institute and ended shortly before 7pm.

Education Minister Dr ANM Ehsanul Haque Milon attended the meeting, along with Technical and Madrasah Education Division Secretary Daud Mia, Acting Secretary of the Secondary and Higher Education Division Dr Sardar Md Keramat Ali, Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education Director General Professor Dr Khan Moinuddin Al Mahmud Sohel, Directorate of Madrasah Education Director General Muhammad Shahadat Hossain, Directorate of Technical Education Director General (additional charge) Farida Yasmin, and Joint Secretaries of the Secondary and Higher Education Division Zahirul Islam, Md Helaluzzaman Sarkar and Saiyed A Z Morshed Ali.

Also present were Professor Md Shakhawat Hossain Khan, director (secondary) of the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education, Muhammad Mozammel Hossain Khan, director of the Directorate of Technical Education, and officials from various departments and institutions.

Speaking to at least three officials and four heads of educational institutions who attended the meeting, The Daily Campus learned that Education Minister Dr Milon told the officials that teachers recommended for appointment by the Non-Government Teachers' Registration and Certification Authority (NTRCA) needed to be transferred, particularly those who had been compelled to work at institutions far from their homes.

The minister reportedly said NTRCA had made a mistake by recommending teachers for appointments in distant locations and that those recommended by the authority should be given transfer opportunities.

Following the minister's remarks, heads of educational institutions at the meeting said applications had already been accepted under the existing transfer policy and that the results should therefore be published under the current rules for this round. They warned that revising the policy and inviting fresh applications at this stage would create widespread dissatisfaction among teachers and could trigger protests.

In response, Dr Milon said a decision would be made after a meeting at the ministry once Secondary and Higher Education Division Senior Secretary Abdul Khaleque returned to the country.

The minister also raised several other issues related to transfers during the meeting. According to a source present, he said, “We will provide opportunities for teacher transfers, but everything must be done within the rules. There can be no ‘free style’ or excessive freedom.

“For example, I was driving from Tala to attend a meeting when a young man hit my car. The driver said, ‘Brother, this is a VIP car.’ I then told the driver, ‘If this had been the previous Awami League government and there had been a flag on the car, it would not even have been a question of what happened to that young man!’

“The point is that excessive freedom does not always produce good results. There will be opportunities for transfers, but irregular privileges or arbitrariness will not be tolerated.”

The minister also said, “You said that this time the transfer process should be completed through an orderly system. Several people had developed software and invited applications, and they brought it to me as well. But after checking it, I found that the system was defective.

“Just think about it. If I had pressed that button without understanding the problem, teachers from Chattogram or other regions might suddenly have crowded into Dhaka's well-known schools instead of the teachers who were supposed to go there. Just imagine what the situation against me would have been like the next day!”