Jharkhand to recruit 10,000 tribal, regional language teachers: Education Minister

Jamshedpur: Minister of School Education and Literacy Ramdas Soren announced on Monday that the rules regarding teacher transfers in government schools will be revised and the government will soon recruit 10,000 tribal and regional language teachers.

Soren said, “The department is currently preparing for the changes, which will be made public soon. Once implemented, the process of transferring teachers to their home districts will become simpler.”

The minister further added that the existing rules are under review as several teachers have raised concerns about the challenges posed by the current system, including issues with mutual transfers. These concerns are being addressed through the planned amendments.

The education minister further announced that around 10,000 teachers will be recruited for primary schools in tribal and regional languages. Reports have been requested from various districts to facilitate the appointment of period-based teachers in nine tribal and six regional languages. A departmental team will be formed to study the models and teaching methods of regional and tribal schools in West Bengal and other states. The most effective model will be implemented to bring this vision to life.

The languages for which teachers will be appointed include Santali, Ho, Kharia, Kurukh, Mundari, Malto, Birhor, Bhumij, Asur, Bengali, Odia, Panchpargania, Khortha, Kudmali, and Nagpuri. This initiative aims to promote education in Jharkhand’s 15 tribal and regional languages.

In 2022, changes were made to the transfer rules, enabling teachers to be transferred to their home districts. However, certain provisions in the rules governing inter-district transfers were identified as requiring further modifications. The current rules consider factors like the teacher’s age, zone of posting, and priority-based scores.

Provisions for transfer are also in place for teachers suffering from severe illnesses. Additionally, changes will be made to the existing priorities for the transfer of female teachers.

During a meeting at Jamshedpur Circuit House on Sunday, attended by Deputy Commissioner Ananya Mittal, District Education Officer Manoj Kumar, and District Superintendent of Education Ashish Kumar, the minister discussed the Chief Minister’s Schools of Excellence. Soren said that although the infrastructure and facilities at these schools are commendable, there are no security personnel or gardeners. To address this, the minister directed the immediate hiring of two security guards and one gardener for each school through outsourcing.

The minister also expressed concern over the number of teachers posted in rural schools managing to get deputed to urban schools through personal influence. He emphasized that such practices need to be curbed. The responsibility of identifying such cases has been assigned to the District Education Officers, with a focus on high schools where such deputations will be canceled.