Teacher Unions Question Sep 30 Transfer Freeze for Census Workers in West Bengal

A new notice from West Bengal’s School Education Department says that educators and non‑teaching personnel deployed for the national census will not receive any transfer orders before 30 September 2024. The notice expressly states that even staff whose transfer paperwork is already complete will not be released from their current duties.

The announcement has ignited concern among teachers’ bodies, who argue that the imposed deadline is misaligned with the census timeline, as the state’s first census phase concludes on 15 September. They also seek clarification on whether the freeze will affect transfers already mandated by court rulings.

Normally, transfers—whether court‑directed or mutually agreed—are executed after the School Service Commission’s recommendation, followed by approval from the West Bengal Board of Secondary Education and the issuance of a release order by the school. The latest directive could disrupt this sequence, potentially postponing transfers even after all formal approvals have been granted.

Swapan Mandal, a senior union official, warned that the uncertainty may keep teachers engaged in census work without a clear return date, with some fearing that the delay could stretch into February of the next year. This follows a Kolkata High Court order that teachers should not be forced to juggle census duties with regular teaching and must be considered on official duty throughout the census period.