A member of parliament on Sunday raised concerns over alleged irregularities in the transfer of government primary school teachers, claiming that a significant number of teachers from outside the locality are being posted in his constituency in violation of existing rules.
Taking the floor during the question-and-answer session, MP Dewan Mohammad Salauddin from Dhaka-19 said that according to the current policy, teachers working in government primary schools should primarily be posted within their local areas, particularly when vacancies arise due to retirement.
He said the rules stipulate that when positions fall vacant, preference should be given to teachers who are residents of the respective area, have provided a local address during recruitment and are registered voters there.
The policy also limits teachers transferred from outside the area to a maximum of 10 percent, he added.
However, the lawmaker alleged that the rule is not being properly followed in his constituency.
“I regret to inform that nearly 40 percent of teachers currently working in these institutions are from outside the locality. Whenever a vacancy occurs, teachers from other areas are being posted here,” he told parliament.
He said the matter has been a long-standing problem and noted that in the past a writ petition had been filed with the High Court to halt such practices.
Calling the issue a concern for local teachers and residents, the MP urged the government to take steps to ensure that the transfer policy is implemented properly so that local teachers get priority in postings when vacancies arise.
Responding to the query, Education Minister for Primary and Mass Education A N M Ehsanul Haque Milon acknowledged the importance of the issue and thanked the MP for raising it.
The minister said that in the past there was no provision allowing primary school teachers to be transferred outside their respective areas.
Later, he said, the previous government introduced a computerised system for teacher transfers.
Under the system, transfers are processed based on the instructions generated through the digital platform, he said.
Milon explained that since Savar is part of greater Dhaka, many teachers from different parts of the country seek transfers there through the application system.
“To address this issue, we need to incorporate some reservation mechanisms within the digital system,” he said.
The minister added that the government is currently reviewing the matter and discussions have already begun on making adjustments to the computer programme so that a larger proportion of teachers posted in a locality come from that area, while allowing a limited number from outside.
“We are examining how the allocation process can be modified to ensure that most of the teachers are from the respective locality, while maintaining a small portion from outside,” he told the House.
The minister assured parliament that the government is considering necessary changes to the digital transfer system to make the process more balanced and responsive to local needs.