Definitions.- In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires,-

1. (a) "appointment" means appointment by direct recruitment, by absorption or by promotion;
2. (b) "appointing authority" means the authority competent to make appointment to the post of a teacher;
3. (c) "competent authority" means the authority competent to make orders of transfer of a teacher; 1[(c1) "maximum period" means a continuous service of ten years in a Zone in different cadres put together; (c2) "minimum period” means a continuous service of five years in a Zone in different cadres put together;]
4. (d) "Pre-University college" means Pre-University colleges belonging to the State Government;
5. (e) "rural area" means the areas of,-
   • (i) Zone-B consisting of the areas upto such distance away from the limits of Zone-A of urban area; and
   • (ii) Zone -C consisting of the areas lying beyond the limits of Zone- B; as may be notified by the State Government from time to time;
6. (f) "school" means Primary or the High School belonging to the State Government as the case may be;
7. (g) "schedule" means the schedule appended to this Act;
8. (h) "teacher" means a person appointed to a category of posts of a teacher, in a Primary School or a High School and includes a lecturer in a Pre-University college, belonging to the State Civil

Services and such other posts as specified in the Schedule;

1. (i) "transfer" means posting of a teacher to a post in a place of working, including posting of a teacher from one place of working to a post in another place of working and includes transfer within or outside the unit of seniority in the same cadre; 2[(j) "unit of seniority" means an educational district for posts in Government primary schools, a revenue division for posts in Government high schools and the state for posts in Government pre- university colleges;]

1. (k) "urban area" means any areas within the limits of a taluk or district head quarters and the limits of a City Corporation, City Municipal Council, Town Municipal Council or a Town Panchayat and upto such distance away from the limits of above areas notified as Zone-A area by the State Government from time to time.

¹ Inserted by Act 23 of 2017 w.e.f. 18.04.2017

² Substituted by Act 23 of 2017 w.e.f. 18.04.2017