New guidelines say govt college teachers can apply for transfer only twice a year

Government college teachers cannot apply for transfer more than twice a year from now on, according to new guidelines.

The education ministry issued the new guidelines on transfer and posting of government college teachers on Sunday.  

The guidelines say the lecturers will have to wait for two years from their joining to apply for posting in Dhaka.

The 327 government colleges in Bangladesh have around 14,000 teachers appointed to the General Education Cadre of Bangladesh Civil Service.

The education ministry had been taking transfer applications online from them in the first five days of every month from last year to ease pressure. But the crowds of teachers lobbying at the ministry did not thin out.

According to the new guidelines, lecturers can apply for transfer in the first 15 days of January and July, assistant professors of March and September, associate professors of May and October, and professors of June and December.

Only emailed applications will be considered.

If both a teacher and the spouse are jobholders, the teacher can apply for posting near the spouse's workplace.

"But it cannot be considered as a right because the number of such teachers is huge," the guidelines added.

A reasonable decision will be taken in such cases considering both the teacher's problems and the service they are supposed to provide, they said.

The ministry will dispose of all the applications in the month those are filed. Committees will be formed to check and recommend the transfer applicants.

The vacant posts in Upazila-level colleges will be filled out on the basis of priority.

The government can also transfer any teacher in 'public interest'.