Gujarat Launches Special Recruitment Drive For Government Primary Teachers In Kutch With No Transfer Policy

Kutch: In a landmark move to tackle the persistent shortage of government primary teachers in Kutch, the Gujarat government has announced a ‘Special Recruitment’ drive to the district. Under this initiative, newly appointed teachers will be required to serve in Kutch for their entire careers, with no option for inter-district transfers.

The new policy, which takes effect from the current academic year, was officially notified on Wednesday. It is aimed at addressing a long-standing issue: teachers frequently leaving Kutch for their home districts once eligible for transfers, resulting in a chronic staffing gap in local schools.

Currently, Kutch has over 3,000 vacant positions for primary teachers. “Kutch district has faced this perennial issue of teachers not staying there for long. They either seek transfer to their home districts or other places. As a solution to this, under direct orders of Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, it was decided to appoint candidates for lifetime in Kutch district” said Minister of State for Education Praful Pansheriya.

As part of the larger statewide recruitment of 5,000 vidyasahayaks for Classes I to V, an additional 2,500 posts will be filled directly in Kutch. For upper primary (Classes VI to VIII), out of 7,000 approved posts, 1,600 are reserved for the district.

Kutch District Education Officer Sanjaybhai Parmar highlighted the depth of the problem: “In other districts, 60-70 per cent of teachers are locals while here, the figure is only 10-15 per cent. Most of the teachers appointed in Kutch district are either from Saurashtra or northern districts. They work here for five years and then return to their home district, which they can seek as per rules after five years. This is a reason why 2,000-3,000 teachers get transferred every year from Kutch.”

This is not the first time the state has tried to curb teacher transfers. In 2017, it introduced a bond-based policy requiring teachers in certain underserved districts—including Kutch—to remain in their assigned block for 10 years. This was later relaxed to five years for inter-district and two years for intra-district transfers. However, the new lifetime service clause is expected to bring lasting stability.

“The eligibility criteria will remain the same as in other districts,” Pansheriya clarified. But this long-term commitment will ensure consistent staffing in Kutch’s schools, ultimately benefiting students and the education system, he shared.