Jaipur: Student enrollment paralysed as staff put on poll duty

The state election department’s decision to depute government teachers for election duty has created problems in the enrollment of fresher students in the schools. In many schools over 80 per cent teaching staff have been deployed as BLOs to conduct field survey thus leaving behind one or two teachers in the schools.

Whenever elections are scheduled in Rajasthan the teachers are deputed for election duties which includes door to door survey, draft and revision of electoral rolls etc. Meanwhile, the employees engaged in other departments are preferred less for such duties as teaching staff are easily available in huge numbers.

Although, while deputing teachers for election duty the authorities seem to hardly care for education of students. According to the orders released by the election officers, over 80 staffers posted in many school in Jaipur are deputed for election duties leaving the principal or a teacher with the task of teaching the students.

An election duty order released by Sanganer Election Returning Officer (ERO), of which DNA has a copy, over half-a-dozen schools have been directed to relieve their 80 to 90 per cent teaching staff for election duties.

For instance six out of eight teachers posted in Upper Primary Sanskrit School, Mansarovar have been designated as BLO to conduct election duty. Similarly, eight teachers from Upper Primary Sanskrit School, Sector 6, Pratap Nagar have been asked to be relieved.

Vipin Prakash Sharma, senior vice-president with Rajasthan Prathmik Madhyamik Sikshak Sangh, has condemned the irrational decision of election authorities of deputing teachers in higher ratio which is likely to cost students dearly.