CHENNAI: Teachers working in schools under the Department of Adi Dravidar and Tribal Welfare have requested the State government and the concerned department to conduct transfer counselling in May, before the commencement of the 2025-26 academic year.

The transfer counselling has been pending for two years, as the department had planned to conduct the former in the middle of the academic years, thus affecting students and regular classes.

Speaking to DT Next, a teacher of an Adi Dravidar school said, “Conducting the transfer counselling in the middle of the academic year or at the end of the year, closer to final exam, will affect teaching, and eventually student’s learning and results. Hence, the ideal time to conduct the counselling and promotion is in May, before the beginning of the new academic year.”

A member of TN Adi Dravidar and Tribal teachers’ welfare association said, “Both the general consultation and transfer counselling have been pending for the last two years. Hence, considering the number of teachers’ vacancies in schools under the Adi Dravidar and Tribal Welfare department, we request the higher officials to announce and conduct the general consultation in May.”

The department of Adi Dravidar and Tribal Welfare in the schools functioning separately as Adi Dravidar Welfare schools and Tribal welfare schools conducted the general counselling in January last year. But, the transfer counselling had been conducted only in elementary education, but not for Bachelor of Teaching (BT) teachers and Secondary Grade Teachers (SGTs).

Hence, members of the association have urged the department to conduct general counselling for all teachers in every designation, without postponing it to the middle of the 2025-26 academic year.