For the last three years, a visually impaired teacher at a school in a village in Bulandshahr district, 55 km away from his residence at Modinagar in Ghaziabad, is running from pillar to post to get a transfer in a school close to his place.

Sachin Kumar, who is visually challenged since birth, was in Lucknow on Tuesday to meet Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath at the Janata Darshan. But all his hopes were shattered as he could not meet the CM. “One officer took my letter without hearing my plight,” said the 33-year-old teacher.
Kumar was appointed as assistant teacher on July 31, 2013 at a primary school in Khushaalpur, Gulaboathi in Bulandshahr. He had applied for a transfer in the previous government, but it in vain. “I was denied transfer on the ground that I hadn’t completed three years at one posting. They told me to approach them after March 31, 2017,” he said.

“My other colleagues who had hardly completed one year, were given transfers. One of my colleagues had just completed eight months when he got transferred to Noida, even when there were no vacancies there,” said Sachin who even had four minor accidents while commuting from home to school.
This assistant teacher, who is facing inconvenience of long commute every day, said he bears the responsibility of his mother who often stays ill. The village, thus, is not an appropriate place for him to stay at with his mother.

Sachin said, “I had written letters to the CM office during the tenure of the previous government, but wasn’t given much heed. I again made an attempt on Tuesday, but I don’t know who collected my application letter. I couldn’t identify his voice, but I’m sure it wasn’t the CM. They said they will look into it,” he said.
Receiving no concrete assurance as of now, Kumar continues to commute to the school, following his passion to teach.

“This government has declared that before transferring any applicant, they will look into their track record. I have no issue with it. They can look into my record. Despite hardships I go to the school regularly,” he said.
Not able to carry the teaching equipment like projector and laptop over such long distances, Kumar feels helpless at times. Sachin has appealed to the government to sanction his transfer.