With teachers on poll duty, Maharashtra schools may have to revise exam timetables

With a large number of teachers across the state being deployed for election duty in October, schools said they are having a tough time scheduling their semester

With a large number of teachers across the state being deployed for election duty in October, schools said they are having a tough time scheduling their semester exams. While several schools were expected to conduct the first-term exams just ahead of Diwali vacations, they may now have to bring forward the exam dates.

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The dates for the state Assembly elections were announced last week. In some schools, nearly 50% of the teaching staff have received letters from the election commission (EC), allotting them poll duties.

“Exams are usually planned two months in advance, as papers have to be set and the necessary arrangements have to be made. While we hoped to finish them before the Diwali break, which begins in the second week of October, the recently-declared elections have compelled us to change the schedule. Since most of our teachers have got poll duties, we will not have enough manpower for supervision and other exam-related work,” said the principal of a suburban school.

Many teachers also complained that they have been assigned duty in locations far from their places of work or residence. “Teachers employed with several south Mumbai schools have been allotted poll duty in Bhiwandi. This is extremely stressful, as they have to travel for hours every day from their homes,” said another principal.

Rajesh Pandya, teacher at Fatimadevi High School, said that many teachers who are nearing retirement have also been put on election duty. “They are not even given a holiday the next day [after polls], which makes it very stressful for them,” he said.