KGBV contract teachers allege forced transfers; Samagra Shiksha says move is per contract

Teachers working on a contract basis at Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas (KGBVs) across the State have alleged that they were “forcibly transferred” to distant places without any notification for the academic year 2026-27. Samagra Shiksha officials, however, said it was a hue and cry by a few disgruntled employees.

According to the members of the KGBVs Teachers’ Union Andhra Pradesh (KGBVSTUAP), principals who have completed five years of service at one school, and Contract Residential Teachers (CRTs), Post-Graduate Teachers (PGTs) and Physical Education Teachers (PETs) who have completed eight years, were asked informally to submit transfer applications.

KGBVSTUAP president Ratna Malini Devi said, “The application for transfers was put in our group of principals, CRTs, PGTs and PETs on March 31, 2026, and we were asked to apply without any formal proceedings. Girl Child Development Officers (GCDOs) are threatening us to submit it immediately, else our contract will not get renewed for the next academic year.”

“How can they transfer us without increasing our salaries? Though the court directed implementation of the Minimum of Time Scale (MTS) by 2022 itself, no government has offered it so far. We have been asking the government to increase salaries, pay all the pending dues, implement MTS and provide house rent allowance (HRA), and then issue transfer proceedings,” she said.

KGBVSTUAP secretary Nageswari said that of a total of 5,000 teachers in the State, 75% had been threatened to sign the transfer applications. She asked how contract teachers could afford house rents and other expenses on a meagre salary of just ₹26,000 per month, and demanded that the government stop these forced transfers immediately.

Speaking to The Hindu, Samagra Shiksha State Project Director B. Srinivasa Rao said, “The government is transferring the teachers as per the terms in the contract. To protect the interests of the students and prevent monopoly, it is mandatory to transfer the principals and teachers who have completed five and eight years respectively at one school.”

“The transfer process is being done after considering the teachers’ preferences, and in a transparent manner. Almost 80% of the teachers have accepted the transfer procedure, but 15-20% of them were not satisfied with this. We will identify the overall vacant positions across the State and issue a fresh notification to recruit teachers soon,” he said.