🔴 By | Arvind Jadhav
Mumbai: Amid growing concerns over the increasing workload on teachers, former Deputy Mayor of Mumbai Babubhai Bhavanji has urged the state government to relieve teachers from duties related to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
Bhavanji highlighted that with the implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP), teachers are already burdened with enhanced academic responsibilities. Assigning them additional election-related work is adversely affecting classroom teaching and student learning outcomes.
He has appealed to Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and the Deputy Chief Minister to exempt teachers from SIR duties. Instead, he suggested deploying personnel from other government departments, along with educated unemployed youth and college students, for such assignments. He also recommended providing appropriate remuneration to those engaged in the process.
Raising serious concern, Bhavanji referred to a recent incident in Mumbai’s Ghatkopar area, where an ailing female teacher allegedly attempted suicide due to stress linked to election-related duties. He termed the incident as alarming and indicative of the mounting pressure on educators.
According to Bhavanji, teachers have consistently contributed to national duties such as elections, census operations, and various government assignments, often serving as Booth Level Officer (BLOs). However, he stressed that their primary responsibility remains education, which should not be compromised.
While acknowledging the importance of the SIR campaign in strengthening the democratic process, Bhavanji emphasized that overburdening teachers with non-academic work leads to mental and physical stress, ultimately impacting students’ academic progress.
He proposed that NGOs, government staff from other departments, and youth volunteers should be actively involved in SIR activities. This, he said, would allow teachers to focus fully on their teaching responsibilities and ensure that students’ education is not disrupted.
Bhavanji has called on the state authorities to take immediate steps to reduce non-academic burdens on teachers, warning that continued pressure could have long-term consequences on the quality of education and student development.
