Teachers Decry Arbitrary Transfers

Hyderabad: Teachers in Telangana say government rules meant to guarantee minimum staffing in schools are being violated during the current round of work adjustments. Despite the education department's latest orders, teachers from schools with proper student–teacher ratios are being abruptly shifted, which is leaving the students without the mandated support.

According to the most recent Government Order issued in May 2025, primary schools with 1–10 students are to have one teacher, and those with 11–60 students are to be allotted two. However, several schools with as many as 15 - 20 students are now functioning with just one teacher after recent adjustments. As per official instructions, the process is supposed to be temporary, involve speaking orders with justification and follow a step-wise structure that prioritises minimal disruption. That, according to teachers and student accounts, has not happened.

DSC Teachers’ Forum president Ravula Rammohan Reddy said, “Two teachers are a must in schools with up to 20 students, yet most are running without that. Teachers are being shifted in the middle of the year, and it is the students who are getting affected.”

As per recent reports, districts show these irregularities. In Sangareddy, 2,667 government schools serve 59,475 students with 4,479 teachers. In mandals like Pulkal and Raikode, schools with 50–60 students reportedly have just one teacher. Teachers posted through earlier initiatives like Badibata, credited with improving enrolment and attendance, have now been removed from some schools without explanation.

Teachers and students claim that these arbitrary transfers leave things in disarray as subject teachers get reassigned within a day, often without being given the basis for the decision. The forum has demanded that the department intervene and ensure schools with 11–20 students retain two teachers, as stated in policy.