PATNA, June 29 -- After suspending mass level transfer of teachers on a voluntary basis, the education department has decided to go for mutual shuffling to keep availability of subject-wise teachers in all schools. On Friday, additional chief secretary, education, S Siddharth issued a notification, asking the teachers to opt for mutual transfer at the individual or in group of up to 10, based on subject and category through e-Shiksha Kosh-the official porter of the education department between July 10 and July 31. The department's letter issued to all the district education officers (DEOs) envisaged that the department would transfer the teachers based on their applications of mutual transfer in the next three days after the deadline and issue the transfer letter. The teachers thus transferred would join their new places of posting within seven days. However, a section of the officials said that a detailed guideline for the next round of teacher's transfer could be issued in the next few days. Officials said that the department had to suspend the voluntary transfer of teachers after around 1,000 schools in different areas of the state had run the risk of closure in the absence of teachers. Siddharth said that the transfer process had to be stopped after he noticed that all teachers of around 1,000 schools had opted for voluntary transfer. "Schools are meant to teach the students, and not to pay the salary of teachers only. We had initiated the process of mass transfer on a voluntary basis for the convenience of teachers with the intent that they would contribute significantly if posted as per their choice. However, the policy of voluntary transfer did not augur well for the schools and the students," added Siddharth. He further said that thousands of schools would be deprived of subject-based teachers in case the rest of teachers would be transferred, based on their choice. "To keep the study going on in all schools, the department had opened the mutual transfer options. Teachers can get details of teachers in their desired place of posting through e-Shiksha Kosh and apply for mutual transfers," added the ACS....