Convener News Desk
Bandipora, September 22, 2025: The Chief Education Office (CEO) Bandipora is under fire for allegedly transferring teachers secretly overnight without any formal orders, raising serious questions about transparency and administrative malpractice.
Official Sources said the office quietly updated teachers’ biometric attendance, shifting teachers while keeping the transfers off record.
Half a dozen teachers from Zone Quilmuqam discovered the transfers only when they were unable to log attendance at their original schools. “The CEO office and ZEO Office didn’t even inform us in the official WhatsApp group, seemingly to keep the transfers off record,” one teacher said.
Among those affected, Zahoor Ahmad Bhat was moved from HS Laharwalpora to Meya Douban, Hafizullah Rather from GMS Lonepora to GMS Badibath, Shahid Ahmad Wani from HSS Aloosa to GMS Phelipora Bonkoot, Jawaid Jawad from GMS Onagam to HS Laharwalpora, and Abdul Hameed Ganie from MS Tangath to GPS Dardgund.
Teachers said they would have accepted the transfers if they would have been transferred to staff starved schools but that has not been done.
Teachers warned that in contrast, such moves have created severe staffing imbalances. MS Tangath, a far-flung school with 200 students, now has only six staff members, while PS Dardgund, with just 60 students, already has three thus further impacting Student-Pupil ratio.
The transfers, teachers alleged, appear to follow a pattern of mutual or man-to-man arrangements, rather than addressing real staff shortages.
“Young teachers in high and middle schools have stayed put in Quil zone for over eight years thanks to connections, while others—including aged teachers—are regularly shuffled,” said a staff member.
Teachers also raised suspicions of harassment and monetary influence in transfers, pointing out that mid-session transfers are banned by the Directorate of School Education unless formally approved—a rule ignored by the CEO office. “This is not even mid-session but the session is about to end”.
Surprisingly, the Chief Education Officer Bandipora Altaf Hussain tara, while talking to Kashmir Convener, termed the transfers an “administrative necessity” that can’t be revealed to public without explaining the reasons for individual moves.
“We can’t reveal everything, there are official secrets,” he said when asked for details raising more eyebrows about the intent of the transfers.
Teachers, however, accused the office of regularly transferring attendance records for unknown reasons and alleged that staff are later pressured to bribe particular officers to revoke transfers.
“What’s wrong with revealing urgent reasons for transfers? It should have been to fulfill staff shortages, but that’s clearly not the case. It raises eyebrows,” one teacher said.
A delegation of teachers criticized the updating of Smart Attendance records without proper approvals, effectively bypassing oversight mechanisms.
Veteran teachers continue to serve in challenging remote locations without relief, while a select few secure convenient postings, demoralizing staff and affecting students in disadvantaged areas.
The teachers demanded an independent investigation, temporary freeze on transfers, transparency in orders, rebalancing of staff according to student strength, rollback of unauthorized attendance updates, fair rotation policies, accountability for officials involved, and immediate relief or reinstatement for affected teachers.
They also proposed a time-bound probe with public findings, a disclosure portal for all transfer orders, strict staffing norms tied to student rolls, and engagement with teacher associations to prevent future irregularities.
Teachers also appealed the Lieutenant Governor, Deputy Commissioner Bandipora and Director of School Education to intervene.
Comments are closed.