Despite a directive from the district administration barring departments from assigning Census duties to outsourced employees, several outsourced vocational teachers in Jalandhar claim they are still being given BLO and population Census work. They allege that they have been warned of legal action if they fail to comply.
Teachers, under the banner of the NSQF Vocational Teachers Front (Punjab), said they are not regular government employees and working in Government Senior Secondary Schools across Punjab through private outsourcing companies.
They stated that their appointments and service conditions are governed by private agencies while their salaries are also disbursed through outsourcing companies instead of the Government Treasury.
Maninder Bains, a senior union representative in Jalandhar, said, “Despite repetitive letters issued by various departments, we continue to get different assignments. Even on May 25, nine of our teachers were assigned BLO duties.”
He added that there are around 270 outsourced vocational teachers in Jalandhar, of whom nearly 70 to 80 per cent commute daily from other districts. “As per the private company policy, we can be deployed anywhere in the state. Earlier, after finishing our classes, we used to return to our home districts. However, due to these duties, we are now forced to stay here due for Census duties,” he said.
Bains said, “We earn around Rs 18,000 per month on average. It is financially distressing for us to manage accommodation, food and travel expenses while also performing these additional duties.”
The teachers also alleged that they are being threatened with FIR registration for not attending to the assigned duties. “In a letter issued on May 22, one of our teachers Sukhpreet Kaur, working at School of Eminence, Bhargo Camp, received a notice warning of FIR registration under the provisions of the Census Act, 1948,” Bains alleged.
Gurinderjeet Kaur, District Education Officer (Secondary), said, “These duties are assigned by the higher authorities, not by our office. We have already flagged the issue to the district administration. However, the Census process is also important and there is a manpower crunch, which may lead to the assignment of these duties.”
