Contractual teachers get deputed on poll duty again

The election commission has asked the deputy commissioners-cum-district election officers to deploy contractual teachers on election duty on April 30. There are over 1,000 contractual teachers in the district, who have shown resentment towards the move.

The election commission has asked the deputy commissioners-cum-district election officers to deploy contractual teachers on election duty on April 30. There are over 1,000 contractual teachers in the district, who have shown resentment towards the move.

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A Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) teacher, requesting anonymity, said, “The state government has failed to regularise us and now the election commission is deputing us on election duty. When we are not regular teachers, then why are we deputed on election duty?”

The election commission has clarified that teachers recruited with the same qualification as regular teachers have been assigned election duty. Besides, some contractual teachers are going to be regularised in near future.

Also, they are working continuously as regular teachers against the sanctioned strength in their school.

The commission also stated that these teachers have been deputed on duty in all past elections held in Punjab, and even now their names figure in the list of eligible employees to be deputed for election duty.

As the number of these teachers is large, removing them from the list at this point would create huge logistic problems for the election machinery.

Talking to HT, Rajat Agarwal, deputy commissioner-cum-district election officer, said, “There are about 1,000 contractual teachers and to find their replacement at this point of time is difficult.

So as per the directions of the election commission, contractual teachers will be assigned poll duty. The teachers have already been informed about their duties.”