3 min readMar 19, 2026 07:55 AM ISTPunjab’s School Education Department has directed teachers to enrol as enumerators for the drug census.Punjab’s Department of School Education in its order has directed the government teachers to register as enumerators for the state’s “Drug and Socio-Economic Census” which the teachers criticised and flayed the government for imposing “non-academic” work.In a letter, dated March 12, the district education officers (DEOs) were directed to ensure that both regular and contractual teachers employed with the department get enrolled as enumerators for the census. The letter also said secretary education “will review the figures on a daily basis”.The orders were sent by the office of school education director.The survey, dated to start from April 5, will cover Punjab’s every household to identify the number of drug users and the types of substances being abused. It seeks to understand the link between drug abuse and factors like unemployment, poverty and education levels.However, the Punjab teacher unions condemned the department for “imposing another non-teaching and non-academic” work. They also questioned if “counting the drug addicts was also their work”.The president of Democratic Teachers Front, Vikram Dev, said: “From conducting polls to counting drug addicts, checking stubble burning to SIR exercise of the Election Commission and making health cards for the government’s insurance scheme, every sort of non-academic work is being taken from teachers, and then the CM and the education minister claim that teachers will only teach. Is this the Sikhya Kranti that the Punjab government boasts of?”The DTF in a statement said, “The Punjab government is conducting a drug and socio-economic census in the state, in which the government has sought online requests for voluntary census duty from contractual or regular employees… Punjab Education Department is imposing forced duties on teachers. Although this work is of 45 days and has to be done after office hours and the employee is to get Rs 62,500 for this… the higher education officials are now forcing teachers to register and pressurizing them.”Story continues below this adDTF general Secretary Mahinder Kaurianwali said the department has already deployed more than 20,000 teachers on BLO duty. The administration keeps taking different duties from them at different times throughout the year.Apart from this, other works including paper marking, spending of civil works grants and Mission Samarth seminars are going on in schools. In the coming days, the teachers will have to work actively in the new admission campaign as well, the DTF general secretary said.The compulsory duty under the name of volunteering will mentally disconnect the teachers from education for 45 days — the loss of which will ultimately be on students, he said.The teacher unions demanded that Punjab should take the help of unemployed people or NGO volunteers related to drug rehabilitation for this census. This will provide part-time jobs to the unemployed youth and will also not disrupt the education department’s work.Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd