Order withdrawn to deploy Delhi govt school teachers at IGI airport on Covid duty

Around 40 teachers were asked to take up duties at the IGI Airport from December 31 to January 15 to ensure that passengers arriving from abroad follow Covid-appropriate behaviour

The District Disaster Management Authority (west) on Tuesday amended its order and exempted government school teachers from Covid duty a day after issuing a directive for their deployment at Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport to ensure that passengers arriving from abroad follow Covid-appropriate behaviour. In its amended order, the authority said that civil defence volunteers from the West district may be deputed when needed.

Delhi’s IGI Airport (Representative Photo)

Senior officials of DDMA said that such directives have been issued routinely since the pandemic broke out in March 2020 and that one of the 11 districts is given the charge of the airport fortnightly. Around 80 teachers were asked to man the airport from December 31 to January 15 in Monday’s directive, leading to protests.

Ajay Veer Yadav, general secretary, Government School Teachers Association (GSTA), said that the deployment of teachers was uncalled for. “In the name of Covid, without any emergency, without any shortage of staff, treating teachers as reserve battalions, putting them on duty at the airport is harassment and humiliation by the administrative authorities. The Government School Teachers Association strongly opposes this,” said Yadav.

The GSTA,earlier on Tuesday, also wrote to lieutenant governor Vinai Kumar Saxena requesting revocation of deputation orders. A copy of the letter was also sent to chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and deputy CM Manish Sisodia. “We implore you to please issue standing orders that teachers should not be deputed for such menial tasks as the absence of teachers in schools negatively affect the progress of students and our education system,” the letter said.