Though the right to transfer the government employees including officers holding administrative positions at various levels lies with the government but now a days leaders of departmental unions in connivance with the local village heads affiliated with political parties in power and the opposition dictate terms to ministers on the transfers of officers just to further the cause of vested interests in their areas. The resentment against the transfer of female Zonal Education Officer Fategarh in Baramulla district shown by the zonal head of the teachers forum Fatehgarah and some respectables of the area is in itself an indication of the vested interests people of a particular section of the area have developed in the retention of the officer. What needs to be reminded is the fact that not the general public or the employee unions of the departments are the best suited to judge the performance of any officer but the authorities overseeing the working of the department are best suited to judge the performance of any officer and take the decisions on transfers purely on the basis of merit and performance. Even if the outgoing woman Zonal Education Officer was carrying out the work of zonal education office Fategarah satisfactorily it does not mean that the officer deserves retention at her present place of posting and the officer sent for her replacement is incompetent and dishonest. If the incoming officer does not perform well, the concerned Chief Education Officer has to take care of the smooth working of the zone education office Fategarah and is fully authorized to recommend the shifting of the new zonal educational officer if found incompetent and unfit by him at any pint of time.
Better for the employee unions including those representing teachers and the ministerial staff to desist from the tendencies of interfering in the transfers of the officers in zones and district and instead let the competent authorities take the decisions on their own risks and responsibilities to fully revive the pristine glory of the ailing education sector in Jammu & Kashmir state.
After all even the heads of the employee unions are obliged to do their duty but not to interfere in the matters of the transfers of the officers working in their areas. The incumbent education minister having the distinction of wining accolades from both the general public and as well as the teachers working in both government and private schools is competent enough to identity the right persons for right positions and as such interference of the employee unions of the education department including those representing teachers and the ministerial staff in the matters of transfers is unacceptable and unwarranted. Even the interference of the legislators in the transfers of the officers of the education department has not to be encouraged to restore the pristine glory of education system in the state. Better for the employee unions including those representing teachers and the ministerial staff to desist from the tendencies of interfering in the transfers of the officers in zones and district and instead let the competent authorities take the decisions on their own risks and responsibilities to fully revive the pristine glory of the ailing education sector in Jammu & Kashmir state.


