Jaipur: The state education department has revised its recent order on deployment of govt schoolteachers for Census duties, capping the number at 50% in Jaipur and Ajmer districts and 30% in all other districts. The department has directed officials to ensure that academic work in schools is not disrupted during the exercise. Despite the revised instructions, teachers’ associations alleged that the order is not being followed on the ground, with several schools reportedly functioning with a skeletal staff as a majority of teachers have been deputed for Census work. Teachers from Udaipur claimed that local authorities were ignoring the department’s directions and relieving teachers beyond the prescribed limit. “Despite the Director’s orders, local officials are working under pressure to conduct the census, and teachers are being threatened with disciplinary action if they do not report for duty. Some schools are left with only two or three teachers,” said a teacher from Udaipur on condition of anonymity. A teacher from Beawar alleged that in some schools nearly the entire staff had been assigned Census duties. “In one school under Beawar Municipal Council area, nine out of 11 staff members were deputed and relieved from regular duties to attend training,” the teacher said. To manage classroom teaching in schools where regular staff is unavailable, substitute teachers are being assigned temporarily. Vipin Prakash Sharma, state president of Rajasthan Primary and Secondary Teachers Association, said the revised order had little impact at the field level. “There are many schools where nearly 80% of the staff is engaged in Census duties. The academic session started early this year so that 20% of the syllabus could be completed in advance, but now teachers are missing from classrooms,” he said. Assessment dates revised for board exam centres The education department Monday also revised dates for the first assessment in govt schools that are designated centres for RBSE supplementary board examinations. While the assessment was earlier scheduled from May 13 to 15, schools serving as board exam centres have now been instructed to conduct tests on May 12 and 13, as supplementary examinations will be held from May 14 to 16. Teachers objected to the last-minute change, saying schools had already closed for the day when the order was issued, leaving little time to inform students and parents.
