State Schools to Operate in Morning Session Until July 30; New Education Department Order

Pune:The Education Department has taken a significant decision to ensure that teachers appointed as Booth Level Officers (BLOs) for the state’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls have sufficient time to perform their duties. Accordingly, the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education has ordered that primary, secondary, and higher secondary schools across the state should, as far as possible, conduct classes during the morning session until July 30.

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Sharad Gosavi, Director of Primary Education, and Dr. Mahesh Palkar, Director of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education, have issued a circular regarding this matter. Following instructions from the Office of the Chief Electoral Officer, directives have been issued stating that the teaching periods of teachers appointed as BLOs should be minimized and scheduled consecutively, and that teachers who are not BLOs should assist them as required.

Under the Education Department’s order, teachers are expected to complete their school teaching duties in a continuous block and fulfill their voter list revision responsibilities during the remaining time. Furthermore, school heads are instructed to plan internal operations carefully to ensure that BLO teachers do not face undue stress. Instructions have also been given to implement these directives immediately and submit a compliance report to the Directorate of Education.

Meanwhile, teachers’ unions have objected to this decision. The unions argue that it is practically impossible to shift schools that normally operate in two shifts (morning and afternoon) to a single morning session, nor is it feasible to schedule consecutive teaching periods for BLO teachers.

Anil Bornare of the Teachers’ Federation remarked, “Expecting teachers to discharge BLO responsibilities while managing school duties amounts to mental and physical harassment.”