Teachers were also deputed on duties related to AAP government’s populist schemes such as registering women for Maawan Dheeyan Satkaar Yojana, (Representational image/File)With the issue of government teachers’ deployment for non-academic duties in Punjab snowballing into a major issue ahead of 2027 Punjab assembly polls, the state education secretary Sonali Giri in a stern letter has directed the deputy commissioners across the state to ensure that no teacher is burdened with any non-academic work, and they should just teach.For almost a year now, government teachers in Punjab have mostly remained out of schools, for several non-academic duties. Apart from the Election Commission’s SIR and BLO duty and Centre’s Census 2027, the state government also deployed them for conducting Drug Census.Teachers were also deputed on duties related to AAP government’s populist schemes such as registering women for Maawan Dheeyan Satkaar Yojana, making health insurance cards, taking children to religious programmes organized by the government, etc.The latest nail in the coffin for AAP government was the outburst of teachers when they were put on duty to make new ration cards in some districts. Teachers announced that they will boycott ration card duties, and from now one “they will only teach and do nothing else.”Giri, in the letter to the deputy commissioners, wrote that teachers being deployed for non-academic work was now having serious implications on education, and from now on, they won’t be given any such duties.“It has been observed that teachers of the School Education Department are being requisitioned at the district/sub-divisional level for various administrative and other non-teaching duties even for unjustified longer periods. The matter requires immediate attention,” wrote Giri, adding that a large number of teachers have already been deployed for the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.“….SIR exercise is scheduled to conclude on 30.09.2026. Accordingly, with the exercise now nearing completion, continued deployment of teachers beyond the requirement of SIR may be curtailed so that they can resume their primary academic responsibilities in schools,” she wrote.Story continues below this ad“However, continued deployment of teachers for multiple assignments outside schools is now seriously affecting classroom teaching, academic continuity and learning outcomes of students. The primary responsibility of a teacher is towards his/her students and repeated withdrawal of teachers from schools inevitably results in loss of instructional time which cannot be adequately compensated later,” wrote the secretary to DCs.Referring to Section 27 of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009 and the relevant judicial directions, she wrote: “…Teachers are not to be deployed for non-educational purposes except for duties relating to elections, decennial census and disaster management.”“It is, therefore, directed that henceforth no teacher of the School Education Department shall be requisitioned or deployed for any non-teaching or administrative duty other than duties specifically permissible under law, namely election-related duties, census duties or disaster-management duties,” she added.“Teachers already undertaking substantial election-related responsibilities should not simultaneously be burdened with additional district-level assignments unrelated to these statutory duties….. All Deputy Commissioners are, therefore, requested to issue clear instructions… that no requisition for teachers for surveys, verification exercises or any other miscellaneous duty shall be made,” adds the letter.