UP govt secondary teachers can now seek transfers to join spouses posted in different districts

Lucknow: Secondary school teachers in Uttar Pradesh whose spouses are also in govt service but posted in different districts are set to benefit from a newly introduced transfer policy that prioritises posting couples in the same district.The policy, issued by secretary, secondary education, Kinjal Singh, lays out a time-bound, points-based framework aimed at balancing staffing needs with employee welfare.According to the policy, the entire transfer exercise — from receiving applications to issuing transfer orders — will be completed within June so that postings are finalised before schools reopen.Officials said the objective is to ensure equitable and demand-based distribution of teachers across districts, protect students’ academic interests and improve job satisfaction through a transparent process.Transfers will be decided through a composite score, with points awarded on parameters such as age, gender and performance, along with specific humanitarian and service-related considerations. Additional weightage will be given to teachers suffering from serious illnesses, including chronic liver or kidney disease, HIV/AIDS and cancer. Preference has also been extended to female teachers who are widowed, divorced or separated. Male teachers who are widowers, have not remarried and have one or more minor children and/or unmarried daughters will also receive extra points.The policy includes provisions for differently abled teachers.Those with 40% to 60% disability will receive 10 points, those with more than 60% and less than 80% disability will receive 15 points, and those with over 80% disability will receive 20 points. Teachers who have received state or national awards will also be given preference.For deployment planning, each district will be divided into three zones based on distance from the district headquarters. Zone 1 will cover schools within municipal limits or within eight kilometres of the district headquarters, whichever is greater. Zone 2 will include schools within two kilometres of tehsil headquarters. Zone 3 will cover all remaining areas.The transfer process will be conducted in phases. In the first stage, surplus teachers will be adjusted using the “Last In, First Out” principle, meaning the most recently posted teacher at a school will be declared surplus first. Surplus teachers will then be transferred to vacant posts in govt high schools and intermediate colleges subject-wise through an online process.In the second phase, transfers will be made for four priority categories: teachers whose spouses are serving in Naxal-affected or border areas with the armed forces or Central paramilitary forces; teachers with serious ailments; teachers who have completed 58 years of age as of June 30; and teachers whose spouses are in govt service and posted in another district. Remaining requests will be considered in the third phase based on applications and priority order.