- The Punjab Education (Posting of Teachers in Disadvantageous Area) Bill, 2021 was introduced in the Punjab Assembly on March 9, 2021. The Bill seeks to ensure the availability of teachers and other vocational staff in educationally disadvantageous areas and equitable demand-based distribution of teachers in the state. Key features include:
- Initial posting in disadvantageous area: Every newly recruited teacher will be posted initially in a disadvantageous area during the probation period. If there are more candidates compared to the vacancies in such disadvantageous areas, such candidates will be offered an appointment in other areas based on their merit position. The Bill defines disadvantageous area as all schools situated in the border districts, and the educational blocks where at least twenty per cent of teacher posts remained vacant during a recruitment year. A recruitment year is a calendar year in which the process of teachers’ recruitment is initiated.
- The Bill applies to appointments such as: (i) elementary trained teacher, (ii) sikhiya provider, (iii) vocational lecturer, and (iv) head teacher in all government-run schools or any training institute in the state.
- The state government will review the disadvantageous areas every year and may include or exclude any educational block from time to time based on vacancies. The list of disadvantageous areas will be notified every year by January 31.
- Prohibition of transfer request: The Bill prohibits transfer requests of newly recruited teachers during the course of their probation period. This will be relaxed in cases of widows, physically disabled persons, and chronic diseases as defined in the Teachers Transfer Policy. The policy is framed by the Department of School Education of the state government.
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