The Maharashtra government assured the Legislative Council that teachers assigned to election-related duties will not face disruptions to classroom teaching. Minister of State Dr. Pankaj Bhoyar said election work will be scheduled during holidays or non-teaching hours, authorities have been told to withdraw full-time deployment orders, and an urgent meeting will be held to ease teachers' workload.

Mumbai: The Maharashtra government assured the Legislative Council that teachers assigned to electoral roll revision and other election-related duties will not face any disruption to their regular teaching responsibilities. Minister of State Dr. Pankaj Bhoyar said the government would convene an urgent meeting of the concerned departments to address issues arising from the deployment of teachers for election work and evolve appropriate solutions.

Replying to a discussion under Rule 92 initiated by MLC Jagannath Abhyankar, Dr. Bhoyar said the government was aware of concerns over the increasing involvement of teachers in election-related work and would ensure that such assignments do not adversely affect academic activities in schools.

He said the deployment of teachers in election duties stems from provisions under the Representation of the People Acts, 1950 and 1951, which have also been interpreted through various judicial pronouncements. In view of these legal provisions, the Office of the Chief Electoral Officer has issued revised guidelines to election officials regarding the appointment of teachers as Booth Level Officers (BLOs).

According to the revised guidelines, teachers should be assigned BLO responsibilities in a manner that does not interfere with their classroom teaching. Election-related work should be carried out only on holidays or during non-teaching hours to ensure that students' education is not affected, the minister said.

Dr. Bhoyar noted that reports had emerged from some districts where teachers were relieved from their regular duties on a full-time basis for election work. Following these reports, the government has directed the concerned authorities to withdraw or correct such orders and ensure strict compliance with the revised guidelines.

Describing the issue as highly sensitive, the minister said teachers play a vital role in shaping future generations and should not be overburdened with additional administrative responsibilities. He announced that a meeting would soon be held in his office with officials from the concerned departments to review the matter and formulate measures to reduce the workload on teachers while ensuring that election-related responsibilities are carried out effectively.