Class 10, 12 teachers to be excluded from election duty

Mumbai: The Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) on Friday instructed the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) commissioner to refrain from assigning election duties to teachers in the city and suburban areas, including Booth Level Officer (BLO) roles, particularly those involved in conducting class 10 and 12 examinations.
Addressing the authorities via a formal letter, CEO Shrikant Deshpande emphasised the need to designate alternative personnel for election-related tasks instead of teachers. The directive specifically urged authorities to explore the possibility of having retired government employees for BLO duties and ensure educational staff involved in election duties are not burdened with academic responsibilities on the same day.
HT’s report on February 12 highlighted the potential disruptions to annual examinations if teachers from aided and government schools were assigned election duties. This concern was voiced by various teacher unions and legislative representatives, including Member of Legislative Council (MLC) representing teachers, who advocated for the release of teachers from election duties to facilitate the smooth conduct of examinations.
Moreover, the directive stressed the importance of considering alternative staff categories for election duties, with the commissioner and collectors urged to have an urgent joint meeting to explore these options.
Meanwhile, MLA Satyajit Tambe escalated the issue, advocating for statewide measures following the exclusion of teachers from Mumbai city and suburbs from election duties. Tambe urged the State Election Commission to extend the directive across the state, citing the adverse effects on students’ education caused by teachers’ engagement in election activities.