The Hindu : Kerala / Thiruvananthapuram News : New initiative for online postings and transfers

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Thursday, Jul 03, 2008
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Kerala

Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram

New initiative for online postings and transfers

Staff Reporter

MCA students develop software to speed up procedure

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: From a software platform readied by three MCA students, the general education department has launched an e-governance initiative for transfers and postings of officials that could well become a trendsetter in the state.

For the first time in Kerala, the general transfer and posting of about 300 school head masters and AEOs for 2008-09 was done online. The postings were completed in early June and all officials have since reported for duty in the new schools / offices. The software for this online process was developed by Jobin, Manu and Arun, students of the final year MCA programme at the College of Engineering Thiruvananthapuram.

As per the system administered by the IT@School programme the applicants had to register online and submit all relevant details in the form given in the web site www.education.kerala.gov.in. Each applicant was given an user id and a password. Within a prescribed ‘window’, April 3 to April 18, the applicant could log in any number of times and update the details submitted.

Quicker process

After the last date for submitting applications, the details of various officials were made available online to the respective District Education Officer (DEO) who recommended or rejected the request for transfer. This recommendation was published online. The reasons for rejecting a transfer request too were published along with this. While making a request for transfer the applicant could either opt for three schools in order of preference or could have opted for three education districts in order of priority.

185 of the 339 applications got posting to the institution that had marked as first preference. “This online process did away with recommendations that are the bane of any transfer. Moreover, a process that normally takes 8 months or more was completed in a month. No complaints have been received so far about the online process. We were also able to effect an organic link between a government department and a professional college through this process,” the executive director of the IT@School programme Anvar Sadath told The Hindu here on Monday.

The education minister M. A. Baby has reportedly asked the IT@School to see whether a similar system can be used for all transfers and postings in the departments of education and culture.

The online transfer of officials comes close on the heels of the online system put in place this year by the IT@School for the supply of textbooks to schools in the state.

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