SIR in Maharashtra: Teachers call out contradictory instructions issued by EC

In a span of seven days, the Election Commission (EC) of Maharashtra issued two letters relating to school teachers selected as Booth Level Officers (BLOs) for the ongoing voter roll Special Intensive Revision (SIR). The first order issued on June 27 said that teachers should be assigned BLO duties only during non-teaching hours or holidays. The second letter, issued on July 3, requested the Education Department to assign as few teaching hours as possible to teachers selected as BLOs, and the same was ordered by the department. This order, as per EC’s request, also said that teachers not assigned as BLOs should help teachers assigned as BLOs in their work.

Educationists and teacher organisations told The Indian Express that these two orders appear to be contradictory in nature. The Maharashtra Election Commission defended its letters and said that the second letter provided for less load on the BLOs.

Currently, door-to-door distribution of enumeration forms by BLO for the SIR is ongoing in Maharashtra till July 29.

The first order, issued by Deputy Secretary and Joint Chief Electoral Officer of the state Manohar Parkar, relied on the Right to Education Act, 2009, and judgements from the Allahabad and Rajasthan High Courts and the Supreme Court of India, to say that teachers must be assigned BLO work only after their regular teaching hours.

The second letter, also by Parker, requested the State Education Department that BLO teachers should be assigned as few teaching hours as possible. Further, these teaching hours should be continuous and non-BLO teachers should assist BLO teachers in their work, the letter says. The State Education Department issued orders to this effect on July 7.

Vasant Kalpande, former Director of Primary Education in Maharashtra, said, “There is a definite contradiction (in the two orders). There are so many vacant teacher positions in Maharashtra, so how can teaching hours even be reduced? What exactly is to be done? The work will just be added to the load of the other teachers.”

He added that the government cared about the completion of its SIR work, while the teachers had their own priorities, leading to no focus on the students.

Tanaji Mane, President of Maharashtra State Secondary and Higher Secondary School Headmaster’s Association, “One letter says that (BLO duty) should not be done during school hours. The next letter immediately says that school hours should be reduced and BLOs should be relieved for work, and that other teachers should help the BLOs…is it the government’s policy that teachers should get no time to teach?”

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“English medium schools neighbouring us have no issues like this and they also get reimbursement from the government in the way of RTE fees. Therefore parents decide to enroll their kids there and Marathi schools keep losing out,” he added.

Similarly, Vijay Kombe, State President Maharashtra State Primary Teacher’s Committee, said that the two directives were contradictory and inexplicable.

Defending the State Election Commission’s Decision, Parkar told The Indian Express, “They (letters) are not at all contradictory. The Supreme Court says that work should not be given during teaching hours, after teaching hours they can do the BLO duty. We are saying that the teaching hours should be together, not spread across the day. This is not our order, we have requested it from the Education Department.”

When questioned about the instruction to reduce teaching hours, Parkar said, “Why not? Teaching hours can be less. The Supreme Court says after teaching hours. They can be less right now and can be increased later, after this one month the SIR will finish…We have said that teaching hours should be as less as possible, but not that there should be no teaching hours. Teaching should definitely be done, however some (SIR) work also has to be done. The second sentence is not being read at all, we have said that other teachers should help in teaching the students. Therefore there will be no loss to the students and not much load on the (BLO) teachers.”

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Maharashtra Education Commissioner Sachindra Pratap Singh did not respond to requests for a comment.