Vinay Kumar
DEHRADUN: Govt school teachers in Uttarakhand have written to senior education officials seeking alternative arrangements while they are deployed for census and booth-level officer (BLO) duties under the SIR exercise, warning that the diversion of teaching staff is severely disrupting classroom instruction, particularly in schools operating with minimum staff.Teachers said their involvement in these additional duties, likely to continue for at least a year, could create prolonged gaps in teaching at a time when learning recovery remains a priority. They have urged the department to put in place interim arrangements to ensure students are not left without supervision or instruction during their absence. The concern is most acute in single-teacher schools, where any absence leaves students entirely unattended.In a letter, a teacher from Sahaspur on the outskirts of Dehradun, AK Gosain, wrote, “As the undersigned teacher is involved in training and census work, a situation may arise where the school is required to be kept closed for those many days.” In another school in Banjarwarla village in Dehradun district, with around 200 students, staffed by six teachers, five have been assigned census and BLO duties. On April 11, the school principal wrote to senior officials seeking relief, saying, “For the education of students and smooth functioning of the school, I request you to please release at least two teachers from these duties.” Statewide, there were at least 3,000 single- teacher schools as of last year. Teachers said they are already engaged in multiple education department programmes, including Pravesh Mahotsav and the Na- tional Initiative for Proficiency in Reading with Under- standing and Numeracy (NIPUN), alongside census and BLO duties. “Our promotions have been withheld since 2025 following apex court orders and transfers are also on hold due to high court orders. All we are seeking is relief from BLO duty, as it is not part of the Right to Education,” said Digambar Singh Negi, Chamoli district president of the Uttaranchal State Primary Teachers Association. Dharmendar Rawat, Dehradun district president of the association, said while teachers continue to perform assigned duties, the impact on students is significant. “In single-teacher schools or those with limited staff, students are being severely affected, which could reflect in their future results,” he said. Director of education Deepti Singh, when queried, said, “The department informs district election officials if such concerns are raised. However, allocating or re- moving BLO duties does not fall under our ambit.”
