Education Ministry reviews 6,900 teacher transfer appeals, approves 1,311
. . . sets criteria for transfer appeals as teachers challenge decisions
Teachers continued to protest their reassignment to schools across different educational levels, as the Ministry of Education received paper-based grievances following an earlier electronic submission process and announced the approval of 1,311 appeals against transfer decisions affecting 8,703 teaching staff.
A gathering of male and female teachers took place outside the ministry’s headquarters on Tuesday morning, with protesters demanding the cancellation of their transfer decisions. In response, the ministry began receiving paper copies of grievances from teachers who had previously submitted their appeals electronically, following the closure of the online submission period last Friday.
The ministry had received approximately 6,900 electronic grievances. After reviewing the applications and verifying the supporting documents, a specialized committee approved 1,311 appeals, the ministry said in a statement.
The committee assessed the cases according to established criteria intended to balance staffing requirements across schools with teachers’ health, family and social circumstances. The review considered factors including the distance between a teacher’s residence and the newly assigned school, with a minimum distance of 16 kilometres specified under the criteria, as well as health conditions, care-giving responsibilities involving people with disabilities or special needs, and other documented family circumstances.
The ministry said some cases required additional verification because the relevant information was not available in the electronic Teacher Record system. Official documents and medical or other supporting reports were therefore examined to establish the circumstances of individual applicants and ensure consistent treatment of similar cases.
Teachers whose appeals have been approved, along with others covered by the redistribution decisions, have been instructed to check the outcome through the “My Decisions” service on the ministry’s website and complete the required administrative procedures.
The ministry said the clearance process at the previous school and confirmation of commencement at the new school would be handled electronically through the Teacher and Administrator Record system. The former school principal must approve the clearance, while the new school principal confirms the teacher’s commencement of work. Once the latter approval is recorded, fingerprint attendance data is transferred automatically, eliminating the need for teachers to visit administrative offices to complete these procedures.
The ministry said the grievance review was intended to ensure fairness and consistency while addressing the operational needs of schools. However, teachers continued to call for the reversal of transfer decisions, keeping the dispute over the redistribution of teaching staff in focus.
