Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voters’ lists, beginning Tuesday, is set to disrupt teaching and examinations in government schools across Madhya Pradesh.
Around 12,000 government school teachers have been assigned Booth Level Officer (BLO) duties, including nearly 1,000 in Bhopal district alone.
Teachers from single-teacher schools, higher secondary schools and even CM Rise (Sandipani) institutions have been deployed despite earlier assurances from the education department that such schools would be spared. In Bhopal, teachers from CM Rise Schools in Nishatpura, Barkhedi and Karond have received BLO assignments.
The SIR exercise will continue till December 4, during which BLOs will conduct door-to-door verification of voter details. Meanwhile, half-yearly examinations for Classes 9 to 12, which began on November 3, are already underway, raising concern over how schools will function with reduced staff.
At a middle school in Bhopal district with about 200 students, eight of 10 teachers have been pulled out for election duty. The lone teacher at Nevri Primary School and both teachers at a school in Badwai have been assigned BLO roles, leaving their schools unattended for nearly a month. At Belkheda Higher Secondary School, more than half of the teaching staff has been diverted for SIR work.
“We’re in a fix. If we fail to do BLO work, the Chief Electoral Officer will penalise us. If we do, our students’ results will suffer and the education department will hold us accountable,” said a teacher. Another teacher said, “There are at least 15 schools in Bhopal where every teacher has been ordered to work as a BLO.”
Acting State President of Government Teachers’ Association, Upendra Kaushal, said, “It was announced that teachers from high and higher secondary schools would be exempted from election duty, but no formal order to that effect has been issued.”
‘Trying to ensure minimum impact’
A senior official from the School Education Department said efforts are underway to minimise the impact of SIR on teaching and exams. “District Education Officers have been asked to coordinate with local administrations so that teachers from overstaffed schools are deployed for election work.Maths and English teachers, and those teaching higher classes, will be spared as far as possible,” the official said.
