The teachers in state, strongly opposing their large-scale deployment for non-academic duties and demanded that educated unemployed youth should instead be engaged for census operations, election-related assignments, health insurance surveys and other government campaigns so that classroom teaching in schools remains unaffected.
The Democratic Teachers Front (DTF) has expressed concern that thousands of teachers are being pulled out of schools for duties related to census work, Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists, BLO assignments, health insurance card preparation, drug surveys and several other administrative tasks. According to the organisation, this has badly disturbed the educational environment in government schools and adversely affected students, particularly those belonging to poor and marginalised families.
The DTF also criticised the alleged arbitrary manner in which duties are being assigned. The organisation said many teachers are being burdened with multiple assignments simultaneously, causing mental stress and affecting their ability to focus on teaching. The union further pointed out that women teachers, including pregnant employees and mothers of infants, are facing serious hardships due to postings in distant areas for non-teaching work.
Seeking immediate reforms in the duty allocation process, the teachers’ organisation demanded special exemption for pregnant women teachers and mothers of children below two years of age from such assignments.
The union maintained that the entire burden of non-educational assignments should not be placed solely on the Education Department and called for equal participation of employees from other government departments in such exercises.
The demands were raised by DTF district president Sukhdev Dansiwal, general secretary Inder Sukhdeep Singh Odhra, joint secretary Praveen Sherpur, Old Pension Restoration Front district president Manjit Singh Dasuya, general secretary Baljit Singh Mahimowal and finance secretary Nand Ram. The leaders announced that the issue of non-teaching duties would also be highlighted during the state-level rally scheduled to be held in Mohali on May 31.