Dehradun: The Uttarakhand School Education Department has decided to take strict action against the use of fake medical certificates in teacher transfer cases. Teachers seeking transfers on medical grounds will now have their medical documents re-examined by a Special Medical Board, and transfers will be approved only after the certificates are verified as genuine. Employees who are medically unfit to perform regular duties due to serious illness will instead be required to opt for Voluntary Retirement Scheme (VRS) procedures.
The department is preparing to begin the annual transfer process. During a recent high-level meeting, it was decided that the transfer system would be made fully transparent. As part of this initiative, a Special Medical Board will be constituted at the Directorate of Education to conduct fresh medical assessments of teachers applying for transfers on health grounds.
The department has also clarified that if a teacher seeks a transfer citing the illness of parents, parents-in-law, spouse, or children, the medical certificates of those family members will also be verified. Even certificates issued by State Medical Boards will undergo scrutiny.
If any certificate is found to be fake or misleading, disciplinary action will be initiated against the concerned teacher.
Education Minister Dhan Singh Rawat said that over the past few years, the department had received complaints about teachers securing transfers to preferred locations by submitting forged medical certificates. He also noted that teacher transfers had remained stalled for the last two years due to court cases involving employees. With the court now granting permission, request-based transfers can resume.
The Minister added that the department is also working towards implementing an online transfer system to further improve transparency.
He said that teachers and employees whose medical condition is so severe that they are unable to discharge regular school duties will have the option of seeking Voluntary Retirement (VRS). All requests for transfers on medical grounds will be approved only after verification by the Special Medical Board.
