Bihar government faces surge in teacher transfer requests, aims for speedy resolution before 2025 elections

Patna: The Nitish Kumar government, which has always claimed teacher recruitment as its achievement, may face a new challenge in managing the high volume of transfer requests of teachers in Bihar.
More than 1.75 lakh teachers have applied online for transfers, numbers far exceeding the expectations of the education department, which was initially limited to around one lakh applications.
The government had set criteria for transfer requests focusing on special circumstances such as terminal illness, serious illness, disability, widowhood, desolate women, couple posting or inconvenience of long-distance posting.
Despite these target categories, a significant majority – about 1.25 lakh applicants, cited long-distance postings as the reason for seeking transfer.
This increase in applications due to distance-related issues indicates the magnitude of the logistical challenges the Department of Education must now address.
The position calls for an efficient, transparent process to resolve transfer requests while ensuring minimal disruption to the education system.
The second-highest category of transfer requests among teachers in Bihar is based on spousal postings, where teachers seek to relocate their lives closer to friends.
Additional Chief Secretary of the Department, Dr. S. Siddharth informed that the Department of Education has set an ambitious goal of completing these transfers within the first week of January.
“The process will now move to the verification stage, where the department will scrutinize the online applications received. Officials will analyze the data to determine how many teachers have applied for transfer in panchayats, municipal bodies and districts.
“Additionally, they will assess how many teachers are currently seeking transfers within the district compared to those requesting inter-district transfers,” Dr. S. Siddharth said.
Based on the preferences indicated by applicants, the Department aims to accommodate transfer requests to the extent possible while balancing administrative feasibility.
The next few weeks will be crucial to ensure that the process is transparent, efficient and in line with established norms to maintain the confidence of the teaching community and maintain the functionality of the educational system.
The Government of Bihar He is willing to solve the problem of teacher transfer before the 2025 assembly elections.
The administration sees this as an opportunity to demonstrate successful resolution of longstanding concerns and strengthen its governance credentials.
By proactively addressing the issue, the government aims to turn it into a positive highlight in its election campaign, leaving no room for opposition parties to use it as a political issue.