Over 3,000 teachers ordered to attend state event amidst protests against land pooling in Punjab

The Punjab Government’s plan to roll out a drug prevention curriculum for students of classes IX to XII from August 1 has landed over 3,000 government school teachers and Education Department officials in an uncomfortable situation.

In what many see as a show of strength amid the ongoing farmers’ agitation against the land pooling policy, the state has directed hundreds of educators to attend a massive state-level function in Arniwala (Fazilka) on Friday. The event will be presided over by AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal and Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann.

District Education Officers, Deputy DEOs, DIET Principals and District Resource Coordinators from across the state have been instructed to attend. Additionally, over 2,800 school heads and teachers from Faridkot, Moga, Ferozepur, Muktsar, Fazilka and Bathinda have been ordered to report at the venue.

Schools’ heads have been asked to arrange live telecast viewings for students from classes IX to XII, starting at 12 noon on Friday.

Teachers have been directed to avoid wearing black turbans, dupattas or clothing, and carry their entry passes and ID cards.

Interestingly, names of Computer and NSQF (National Skills Qualification Framework) teachers, who are currently protesting over unmet demands, were initially included but later excluded on verbal instructions, allegedly to prevent sloganeering or dissent.

Special buses have been arranged to ferry all attendees from district headquarters to Arniwala.

Fazilka: Teachers oppose forced attendance at anti-drug school curriculum event

Meanwhile, as Kejriwal and the Punjab Chief Minister are set to roll out an anti-drug school curriculum for students of classes IX to XII in all government schools as part of the third phase of the ongoing ‘Yudh Nashian Virudh’ drive at the School of Eminence at Arniwala Sheikh Subhan village in Fazilka district on Friday (August 1), resentment is brewing among teachers who have been instructed to attend the event in large numbers.

Nearly 550 teachers from Muktsar district alone have been directed to reach the venue, while teachers and school heads from five other districts Fazilka, Ferozepur, Faridkot, Moga and Bathinda have also been told to attend the event. The teachers claim this directive will severely disrupt academic work across these districts.

Vikram Dev Singh, president of the Democratic Teachers Front, Punjab, criticised the move, saying, “The state government is using teachers to serve their political agenda, which is painful. Nearly 60 per cent of schools in these districts already don’t have principals, and now teachers are being pulled out on a working day. When senior and multiple teachers from each school will attend the event, who will take responsibility for the studies and safety of the children left behind?”

He added, “This is not the first time teachers have been forced to attend such events. If the government truly wanted to benefit students, the programme could have been launched online, especially when all schools are equipped for virtual communication.”

Meanwhile, a senior education department official said arrangements have been made for the participating teachers. “We will provide buses and lunch. Around 550 teachers from Muktsar and almost similar numbers from the other five districts are expected to attend the event. The state government is taking a positive step and teachers should not see it as a burden, but as a collective effort to raise awareness among students against drug abuse,” the official stated.