Pune: Despite a clear directive from the Education Department exempting teachers from non-educational tasks such as Booth Level Officer (BLO) duties, many teachers across Maharashtra are still being assigned these responsibilities by the district administration.
This non-compliance has sparked concerns about the negative impact on students' education and raised frustrations within the teaching community.
In line with Section 27 of the Right to Education (RTE) Act of 2009, teachers are prohibited from being assigned non-educational work to ensure quality teaching.
The RTE mandates a minimum of 200 teaching days for primary classes and 220 days for upper primary classes. However, teachers have been consistently tasked with duties unrelated to education, such as election work. These tasks disrupt classroom teaching and hinder students' academic and overall development.
To address these concerns, the Education Department had set up a committee, led by the Principal Secretary, to classify tasks and identify which ones should be considered educational and which should not.
The committee submitted a report to the government, recommending that BLO responsibilities be classified as non-educational. However, despite this classification, district administrations have been rejecting teachers’ applications to be released from BLO duties, continuing to assign them to these year-round tasks.
Primary teachers across the state, particularly in rural areas, are often tasked with managing voter lists, attending meetings, and assisting with various election-related duties.
The interference of such tasks during school hours has resulted in disruptions to classroom teaching, leading to significant frustration among teachers.
Bhau Chaskar, convener of the Active Teachers Forum, Maharashtra, stated that the Revenue Department's reluctance to relieve teachers from BLO work is a growing cause for concern within the teaching community.
Sharad Gosavi, Director of Primary Education, reaffirmed that the Education Department has officially exempted teachers from BLO duties. However, he acknowledged that many district administrations have not implemented this decision, and assured that the matter will be brought to the government's attention for appropriate action.
