The School Education Department of Punjab has directed all government and aided schools across the state to remain open on Saturday, July 11, and Sunday, July 12, 2026, functioning as regular working days to facilitate the Special Intensive Revision (SIR-2026) drive. The order, issued on Friday by Sonali Giri, Secretary of School Education, mandates all school staff to report for duty and cooperate with SIR personnel.
Background and Directive
The directive follows an order issued a day earlier by the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Punjab to all Deputy Commissioners-cum-District Election Officers. The house-to-house phase of SIR-2026, which commenced on June 25, is scheduled to conclude on July 24. To expedite the collection and digitisation of Enumeration Forms, the CEO has instructed that special camps be held at all polling stations on July 11 and 12, with Booth Level Officers (BLOs) required to be present from 8 am to 3 pm on both days.
Roles and Responsibilities
BLOs who have achieved 100 per cent digitisation will utilise the camps to identify anomalies and logical discrepancies in the data. Those with high collection but pending digitisation will focus on clearing the backlog and gathering remaining forms. Officers with low collection rates have been directed to carry out collection and digitisation simultaneously. To ensure smooth execution, school staff at booths located on school premises, along with Revenue Patwaris and village or ward Anganwadi workers, will be attached to the BLOs.
Additional Support in Urban Areas
In urban areas, staff from Urban Local Bodies, Assembly and District Level Master Trainers, and BLO Supervisors will provide additional support, particularly at booths lagging in digitisation. The CEO has directed Deputy Commissioners to personally monitor the camps to ensure complete compliance and seamless execution of the drive.
