Government schoolteachers in Amritsar staged a protest on Saturday against being deployed on Special Identity Register (SIR) duty during official holidays. As part of the demonstration, teachers tore and burned copies of orders issued by the Punjab Government and the Election Commission of India, which declared July 11 and 12 as mandatory working days for SIR camps.
Protest at Bhagtanwala school
The district administration had organized special SIR camps in government schools on July 11 (second Saturday) and July 12 (Sunday), both of which are official holidays under the standard school calendar. The Punjab School Education Department subsequently directed all District Education Officers (DEOs) and school heads to keep schools open on these days, overriding the usual weekend break.
At Government Senior Secondary School, Bhagtanwala, teachers publicly burned copies of the orders to express their anger. Despite the protest, they reported for duty at their designated camps, indicating a mix of defiance and compliance.
Teachers decry 'illogical' orders
Several teachers condemned the decision as illogical and arbitrary. Ashwani Awasthi, head teacher at GGSSS, Bhagtanwala, said, “Teachers are being treated like machines and are being made to work continuously without any leave. We had clearly demanded that the government recruit separate staff for BLO and other election or administrative duties. Instead, teachers are being burdened with additional responsibilities without any break.”
Leaders of the Democratic Teachers’ Front (DTF), Punjab, also strongly condemned the decision. They said that while the government makes tall claims about an “education revolution,” its policies are actually lowering the morale of teachers at the grassroots level.
Scale of non-academic workload
According to the DTF, around 18,000 teachers are currently engaged in SIR-related work across the state. In addition, thousands of teachers have been assigned non-academic duties, including the drug survey, census work, and the “Mawan Dhiyan Satkar Yojana,” further adding to their workload. The DTF has repeatedly demanded that the government recruit separate staff for election-related and other administrative tasks, arguing that teachers should focus on education.
Impact on education
Teachers argue that the continuous deployment on non-academic duties is undermining the quality of education. With schools forced to remain open on holidays and teachers stretched thin, classroom instruction and student welfare are being compromised. The protest in Amritsar is part of a wider discontent among Punjab’s government schoolteachers, who have been vocal about the need for a clear separation between teaching and administrative responsibilities.
