Kolkata, 05 August (H.S.) : The Calcutta High Court on Wednesday imposed an interim stay on the surplus transfer of primary school teachers and non-teaching staff in West Bengal, directing the state government not to implement any such transfers until further orders.

Hearing petitions challenging the state's recently issued Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) on surplus transfers, Justice Bibhas Pattanayak directed that no teacher or school employee should be transferred under the policy for the time being. However, the court allowed the state government to continue internal administrative preparations under the new SOPs, including inviting applications from teachers willing to opt for voluntary transfers.

The matter is scheduled to be heard again next Wednesday.

The West Bengal government had recently introduced new SOPs governing surplus transfers and issued separate guidelines on July 15 and July 24. Under the policy, applications were first invited from teachers seeking voluntary transfers, while the government indicated that further transfers could be considered based on administrative requirements.

The SOPs were challenged in the High Court by a group of teachers, who argued that the criteria for identifying surplus teachers and determining transfer priority lacked clarity. According to the petitioners, the guidelines do not specify whether preference would be based on seniority in age or length of service, creating uncertainty in the implementation process.

During the hearing, the court clarified that while the state may continue collecting information and carrying out preparatory administrative work, no surplus transfer of teachers or school employees can be effected until further orders.

The state government introduced the surplus transfer policy to address the imbalance in teacher distribution across primary schools. Under the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009, the recommended pupil-teacher ratio is one teacher for every 30 students. While some schools in West Bengal have more teachers than required, others continue to face shortages despite having higher student enrolment. The policy aims to redistribute teaching staff to ensure a more balanced deployment across government primary schools.

Hindusthan Samachar / Satya Prakash Singh