Pune Teachers Juggle Classrooms & SIR Work As Verification Enters Crucial Phase: ‘Working 15 Hours A Day’

Pune: As the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls enters its crucial verification phase, teachers appointed as Booth Level Officers (BLOs) across Pune district are finding themselves caught between classrooms and SIR-related work, with several reporting working days stretching well beyond regular school hours.

According to data from the District Election Office, 5,261 personnel from the education sector and contract staff have been deployed as BLOs across 21 Assembly constituencies in Pune district. Of these, 3,618 are teachers from Classes 1 to 4; 1,397 from Classes 5 to 10; 187 from Classes 11 to 12; while 59 personnel have been appointed on a contractual basis.

The deployment is coming at a demanding point in the academic calendar, with schools simultaneously conducting regular teaching, completing the new syllabus, holding unit tests, checking answer sheets, and preparing lesson plans for the academic year 2026-27.

'Work doesn’t stop even after reaching home'

Teachers appointed as BLOs said the SIR schedule has effectively added a second shift to their working day. Sangeeta Kulkarni, a secondary school teacher and BLO from Kothrud, said she teaches in the morning before reporting for field duties from 11am to 5pm. “When I reach home around 6.30pm, the work doesn’t stop. I have to immediately log into the BLO app using my personal mobile data to upload all the day's physical records, cross-verify addresses, and resolve pending voter queries until late evening,” she said.

Teachers say that the problem is not limited to field verification. Data entry, document uploading, and validation often continue after returning home, while school-related work is pushed into late evenings.

'I am working nearly 15 hours a day'

High school teacher Santosh Jagtap said the combined workload was affecting preparation for students. He said, “Between school hours, the 11am to 5pm BLO survey and the nighttime app uploads from home, I am working nearly 15 hours a day. By the time I finish uploading all voter records around 9pm, I still have to review my teaching modules and set unit test question papers for the morning class."

The burden is particularly visible in constituencies with a high number of teacher-BLOs. Maval has 343 teachers across Classes 1-12, followed by Bhosari with 444, Vadgaon Sheri with 296, Khadakwasala with 352, Shirur with 350, and Chinchwad with 359 teachers. Pimpri has 357 teacher-BLOs, while Hadapsar has 366. Shivajinagar has 91 teacher-BLOs.

'The schedule is wrecking our health and our sanity'

Vilas Patil, a primary teacher, said, “The back-and-forth schedule is wrecking our health and our sanity. I have to check every entry twice because one minor digit error in an Aadhaar or house number could result in double work. When am I supposed to rest, cook for my family, or focus on my primary job as an educator?"

The data also shows considerable dependence on primary-school teachers. Across the district, 3,618 Class 1-4 teachers account for nearly 69% of all teacher-BLOs, making primary educators the largest group involved in the electoral exercise.

Teachers also said student helpers can assist with basic tasks such as arranging forms, locating addresses, and entering preliminary information, but the final verification and validation remain the responsibility of the BLO.

'When I signed up...'

Rohan Patil, a college student helper, said, “When I signed up to assist with the voter list revision, I thought it would just be simple phone app entry work. But seeing the condition of the teachers we were assigned to was a reality check. I try to handle as much typing, document scanning, and basic data entry as possible so she doesn't have to type everything on a small screen. But the teachers still have to check every record twice because it will be a mess if they make even a tiny administrative mistake.”

However, election authorities maintain that the arrangement is manageable and that support mechanisms have been put in place.

'While joining government service as teachers...'

Minal Kalaskar, Deputy Collector and District Election Officer, Pune, said teacher-BLOs are expected to work in the field from 11am to 5pm after completing one or two lectures in the morning. She said the deployment was made after government employees were found to be insufficient and cited the Supreme Court’s directions on appointing school teachers as BLO helpers.

Kalaskar said, “The BLOs who are teachers report to school in the morning, where they complete one or two lectures, and then report to their assigned centres. They work there from 11am to 5pm. The Supreme Court has directed us to appoint school teachers as BLOs, and wherever we were short of government employees, we appointed teachers for this work. While joining government service as teachers, they had also agreed to remain available to assist the government whenever required. Now that their services are needed, they are helping us, and the SIR work is progressing smoothly. I must appreciate their efforts. They are also being paid ₹6,000 per month for this work.”

She added that teachers facing medical issues have assistants and that students have been appointed to help with basic form-filling and guidance. Medical assistance is also available at every booth, she said. “For teachers facing medical issues, assistants have been provided to help them. Students have also been appointed as helping hands. Their role is mainly to guide voters in filling out the forms, after which the teacher checks the forms and forwards them. Medical assistance is also available at every booth. The teachers have done a great job and are continuing to do so. We are happy and proud of their contribution."

The second extension of the form distribution and verification phase is set to end on August 17. The draft electoral roll will be published on August 24, after which voters can file claims and objections until September 23. The hearings and disposal of claims and objections will continue until October 22, with the final electoral roll scheduled to be published on October 27.