Ludhiana: Teachers on poll duties, students feel the pinch

A mega parent-teacher meeting (PTM) is scheduled for October 18 to discuss key programmes like Mission Samrath, Competency Enhancement Plan (CEP), and Mission 100% for board classes.

With Panchayat elections scheduled for October 15, government school teachers have been assigned election duties, leaving some schools unable to operate on October 14 due to staff shortages. Despite this, no official orders have been issued to close the schools, forcing them to find solutions on their own.

DEO (elementary) Ravinder Kaur said that in schools where all teachers are on election duty, other teachers are being sent on deputation to assist. (HT File)

Adding to the chaos, schools have been asked to update mid-day meal attendance, even though no teachers are available to do so. “There are six teachers in Government Primary School, Kothe Rahlan, and all of them are on election duty. How can we mark attendance when no teacher is present in the school, and why would students attend?” asked Democratic Teachers’ Federation president Davinder Singh Sidhu. This issue is particularly severe in primary schools with limited staff.

A mega parent-teacher meeting (PTM) is scheduled for October 18 to discuss key programmes like Mission Samrath, Competency Enhancement Plan (CEP), and Mission 100% for board classes. However, due to teachers being occupied with election duties, mid-term exam papers remain unchecked, raising concerns about the quality of preparation for the meeting.

One principal explained that mid-term exams finished on October 10, but teachers had to immediately report for election duty rehearsals the next day. “The results are not ready, and with election duties and public holidays, it is hard for teachers to prepare the results by October 18. We need an extension of at least a week to maintain quality,” the principal said.

Teachers also shared that, in the absence of teaching staff, mid-day meal workers are being asked to supervise classrooms, as schools have received no directions to close. This has caused further strain on school operations.

Punjab Government School Teachers’ Union secretary Tehal Singh Sarabha highlighted that some teachers have been away for more than 20 days due to election duties, impacting student learning.

District education officer (elementary) Ravinder Kaur acknowledged the challenges and said that in schools where all teachers are on election duty, other teachers are being sent on deputation to assist. “We are ensuring genuine attendance for the mid-day meals and will request higher authorities to extend the PTM date, given the difficulties teachers are facing,” she added.