Examiner Bureau | Srinagar:
The Jammu and Kashmir School Education Department has proposed a new transfer policy for regularised Rehbar-e-Taleem (RReT), Grade-II and Grade-III teachers, aimed at rationalising staff deployment, addressing shortages in underserved areas and balancing teacher welfare with students’ academic needs.
The draft “Jammu and Kashmir Regularised Rehbar-e-Taleem (RReTs) Teacher Transfer Policy 2026” has been issued for objections and suggestions. It seeks to establish a uniform, need-based and student-centric framework for transfers while safeguarding the entitlements of General Line Teachers.
Under the proposed policy, an RReT teacher would ordinarily be required to complete a minimum tenure of three years at a particular place of posting before becoming eligible for transfer. Exceptions may be considered on exceptional or compassionate grounds.
The draft further proposes that no teacher should ordinarily remain at one place of posting for more than five years. On completion of the maximum prescribed tenure, an employee would become liable for transfer in the interest of administration.
Transfers would ordinarily be undertaken once a year through an Annual Transfer Drive (ATD). The exercise would be conducted after the completion of the academic session and before the beginning of the new academic session to minimise disruption to teaching activities.
Mid-session transfers would generally be avoided and permitted only in exceptional circumstances, including serious medical conditions, security concerns or unavoidable administrative exigencies, with the approval of the competent authority.
The draft allows inter-district mutual transfers between two teachers belonging to the same cadre, qualification, subject and status, subject to verification of eligibility.
Such transfers would ordinarily not be permitted within two years of a previous transfer, unless sought on compelling grounds and approved by the competent authority.
Teachers opting for such mutual transfers would retain their lien and promotion prospects in their parent districts, according to the draft.
The proposed policy provides for consideration of transfers on compassionate grounds, including cases involving life-threatening medical conditions of an employee or dependent family members, disability, widowhood, single parenthood and spouse unification where both spouses are government employees serving in different areas.
The draft states that such cases should be considered in a manner that avoids undue hardship or unnecessary dislocation to the employee.
Requests for deployment outside the district on extreme medical grounds would be examined by the Administrative Department on the recommendations of the concerned Director.
Teachers seeking deployment on security grounds would also be considered by the Administrative Department after completion of the prescribed procedure.
The draft proposes that Cluster Heads make suitable internal arrangements whenever a teacher is deployed on compassionate or security grounds to ensure that school functioning is not disrupted.
While processing transfers, priority would be given to ensuring that teachers belonging to reserved categories complete the mandatory stay period prescribed under the applicable Reservation Policy.
The provision is aimed at maintaining equitable deployment while protecting academic continuity and students’ interests.
The proposed policy provides for a 10-day grievance redressal window at the Joint Director level after transfer orders are issued.
Teachers would be able to submit grievances during this period for consideration and disposal by the competent authorities.
The draft proposes that transfers should not ordinarily be effected during the academic session except under exceptional circumstances.
An employee should also ordinarily not be transferred again within two years of the previous transfer, unless required by administrative exigency.
Employees facing pending or contemplated disciplinary proceedings may not ordinarily be considered for transfer, except where the transfer is necessary in the interest of an inquiry or administration.
A specific provision has been proposed for RReTs who have not yet attained regularisation.
Such teachers would continue at their originally assigned place or zone, keeping in view the nature of their initial engagement. Once regularised as RReTs or placed as Grade-II or Grade-III teachers, they would come fully under the proposed transfer policy.
The draft also seeks to protect the existing cadre structure of General Line Teachers.
Transfers would be made RReT-to-RReT, Grade-II-to-Grade-II and Grade-III-to-Grade-III only.
The policy proposes that there would be no transfers between General Line Teachers and RT Teachers, except in cases involving employees who have been transitioned and adjusted against regular or substantive posts.
For transfers within the same zone, orders would be issued by the concerned Zonal Education Officer (ZEO) after approval from the Chief Education Officer.
Transfers between zones within a district would be ordered by the concerned Chief Education Officer after obtaining approval from the Joint Director.
Inter-district transfers and deployments would be ordered by the Administrative Department of School Education on the recommendations of the concerned Director.
The proposed policy would be reviewed every five years, or earlier if required.
The department would also periodically assess teacher deployment to ensure rationalisation and effective implementation of the policy.
Once finalised, the draft policy would supersede previous orders governing the subject.
The notification was issued by the School Education Department and signed by Ram Niwas Sharma, IAS, Commissioner/Secretary to the Government, School Education Department, and is dated September 3, 2026.
