Many Education Department employees, teachers reluctant to attend election duty

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, September 15

Days after the 657 booth-level officers (BLOs) of the district received notices for staying off from election rehearsals for the zila parishad elections, employees of the Education Department remain irked for forcing the BLO duties on them by the district administration.

Even as the teachers of the department have received exemptions from BLO duties in districts such as Tarn Taran, Ludhiana and Amritsar, in Jalandhar the administration has made it clear to teachers that there would be no such exemptions for them.

Women, including those having children up to the age of one, and expecting mothers have also failed to get exemption in election duties.

On the flip side, school staff also rued that some teachers in the name of election duties were skipping school in the morning, though their duties start after 2 pm.

With many teachers reluctant to do duties, it is expected that a substantial number of poll duty staff is likely to skip the election duty, forcing the administration to use the staff on-reserve.

Karnail Phillaur, district president of the Government Teachers Union, who had also met ADC Jitendra Jorwal on the issue a few days ago, said: “We had sought the exemption of women, who will be on duty with their spouses, and expecting mothers. We had also sought that women BLOs or election duty staff be allocated on duty within 10 km of their place of school duties. However, all these demands remain unheeded. Of the 657 BLOs to whom notices were issued for remaining absent, the majority are teachers. Ninety per cent staff on the election duty are employees of the Education Department. The district administration, in principle, has not paid heed to any of our demands.”

Some of the teachers also alleged that many teachers with special political recommendations have been exempted from duties while several with genuine grouses were not being considered.

What teachers say

Some of the teachers also alleged that many teachers with special political recommendations have been exempted from duties while several with genuine grouses were not being considered.