Kolkata: The state School Education Department has extended the suspension of online teacher transfers through the Utsashree Portal till June 30, 2026, while retaining the provision for mutual transfers.
An order issued by the Elementary Education Branch said the earlier decision to halt online processing of transfer applications for primary teachers would continue, except in cases of mutual transfer, either till June 30, 2026 or until further orders, whichever is earlier. A similar extension is expected to be notified for high school teachers.
Launched in August 2021, the Utsashree Portal—the state’s online platform for teacher transfers—has remained non-operational since September 2022. Initially imposed for six months, the suspension has since been extended repeatedly, with the previous extension valid till December 31, 2025.
Teachers’ organisations, however, allege that the exemption for mutual transfers exists only on paper. They claim that no mutual transfer applications have been processed since the exemption was announced earlier this year.
“Only general transfers have been kept suspended, with mutual transfers excluded. But despite assurances since the beginning of the year, the mutual transfer process has not actually started,” said Kinkar Adhikari, general secretary of Shikshanuragi Aikya Mancha.
In October, the All Post Graduate Teachers’ Welfare Association wrote to department officials seeking clearance of pending recommendations and orders related to mutual transfers. Following the latest extension, the association’s secretary, Chandan Garai, said officials had indicated that the department was not in favour of reopening transfers at this moment.