Sri Vijaya Puram, Mar 08: The Organization for South and South East Asia Development (OFSSEAD) has submitted a representation to the Lieutenant Governor of Andaman & Nicobar Islands requesting rationalisation of departmental transfer timelines in order to safeguard the academic continuity and well-being of children of Government employees across the islands. In its representation, the organization highlighted that under the existing administrative practice, transfer proposals usually begin around March and final transfer orders are often issued as late as August or September, which coincides with the middle of the academic session. As a result, many Government employees are compelled to relocate mid-session after their children have already been admitted to schools, leading to disruption in studies, difficulty in securing mid-term admissions, and considerable mental and financial stress for families.
OFSSEAD stated that while the transfer policy of the Andaman & Nicobar Administration provides for tenure-based postings to ensure equitable distribution of manpower across the islands, the timing of transfer orders often creates unintended hardships for employees with school-going children. The organization noted that such mid-academic-year transfers not only disturb the educational stability of students but also affect their emotional well-being and learning continuity.
In view of these concerns, OFSSEAD has proposed a constructive administrative reform without altering the existing transfer policy. The organization suggested that draft transfer proposals may be issued in the month of January and final transfer orders may be issued before the commencement of the summer vacation. Such a system would allow employees to plan relocation during the vacation period and enable children to join schools at the new place of posting at the beginning of the academic session without any academic loss.
OFSSEAD has also suggested that during the transition to the revised transfer schedule, the Administration may consider granting a one-time uniform relaxation in tenure calculation so that employees who may fall short of the prescribed tenure by a few months are not adversely affected. According to the organization, such a measure would ensure fairness, administrative uniformity and smooth implementation of the improved transfer mechanism across departments.
The organization expressed hope that the Administration will examine the matter sympathetically and take appropriate steps to make the transfer system more education-friendly and child-centric while maintaining administrative efficiency and adherence to existing service rules. OFSSEAD stated that the proposal is intended to promote welfare-oriented governance and reduce avoidable hardship faced by Government employees and their families in the Andaman & Nicobar Islands.
