With the first phase of the Census scheduled to begin on June 15, the Directorate of School Education in Himachal Pradesh is set to approach the Directorate of Census Operations to ensure that government schools are not excessively burdened by Census-related duties. The move comes amid concerns that drawing a large number of teachers for the nationwide exercise could adversely affect academic activities in schools across the state.
Education Minister's Intervention
Education Minister Rohit Thakur said the Director of School Education would meet Census officials to convey the department's concerns and seek measures to minimise disruption in classrooms. While emphasising the importance of the Census, the minister said staff deployment should be planned in a manner that causes the least possible impact on teaching and learning.
Thakur stressed that science and mathematics teachers should be spared from Census duties as far as possible. He pointed out that schools are already facing a shortage of teachers in these subjects and their prolonged absence could create difficulties for students. He also underlined the need to ensure that no school loses a significant number of teachers at the same time for Census-related work.
Impact of Recent Elections
The concern has gained significance as the Census exercise follows closely on the heels of the recently concluded local body elections. A large number of teachers were engaged in election duties and many have returned to their schools only in the past few days. With Census work beginning shortly, schools fear another round of staff shortages that could leave several institutions struggling to maintain normal academic schedules.
Teachers' Organisations Voice Concerns
Teachers' organisations have also urged the government to review the policy of assigning non-teaching duties to educators. School Lecturers Association president Ajay Negi said academic activities had already suffered for nearly a month because of election-related assignments and that Census duties would further disrupt the teaching-learning process. He argued that while teachers are expected to deliver quality results and are evaluated on students' performance, they are simultaneously burdened with election work, Census responsibilities and various administrative tasks.
Association chairman Surender Pundir echoed these concerns, saying that quality education and effective implementation of the National Education Policy could only be achieved if teachers spend maximum time in classrooms. He urged the government to explore alternative arrangements for conducting Census and other non-academic work so that students' education does not suffer.
