DEO requires medical exams for educators in Odisha who are applying for transfers

The district education office here is feeling suspicious due to the reported appeal of almost 240 teachers from 26 blocks in the district, all of whom are wanting to be transferred to their home countries due to health reasons, and all of them at the same time.

According to sources, every application was received online on various days in February. The Bisoi block garnered the most applications—22—but Bijatala and Thakurmunda blocks came in second and third, with 20 applications each.

Comparably, 15 came from the Bangiriposi block, 14 from Sarashkana and Jamda, 13 from Kusumi and Bahalda, and 12 from Kuliana, among others. The blocks with the least amount of applications were Morada and Khunta. Mayurbhanj district education officer (DEO) Purna Chandra Sethy ordered the medical examination of the aforementioned teachers to determine the genuineness of their appeals, fearing foul play because all 240 applications were received in February alone.

Under the condition of anonymity, a senior DEO office official said that the majority of teachers who requested transfers stated they had renal problems and needed to remain in their home countries in order to get better care.

When contacted, the DEO said that the chief district medical officer (CDMO) had been requested to do the necessary medical examinations on the instructors in question. “Necessary action will be taken after we receive the reports,” he said.

Meanwhile, others claimed that certain instructors here try to take unfair advantage of the fact that School and Mass Education Minister Sudam Marndi is a district local by presenting fictitious medical reports in order to be moved to their home countries.

“It is a matter of concern and the district administration should launch an impartial inquiry into the matter if the majority of the teachers claim they are suffering from kidney problems,” they requested.