Maharashtra Elections 2024: Why school teachers are up in arms over poll duty

As election season approaches tensions are rising in unaided schools where a large number of teachers have been called for poll duty training Many educators have received showcause notices and some even face FIRs from the district collectorrsquos office for skipping or refusing to attend these mandatory sessions Several schools in the suburbs have voiced concerns over the heavy requisitioning of their staff for election dutyAdministrators highlighted the strain election duty places on their institutions ahead of the Diwali break One of the more notable cases is the Childrenrsquos Academy group which operates three schools in the western suburbs Of their 450plus teaching staff more than 350 have been summoned for election dutyJBCN International School at Oshiwara where numerous teachers received showcause noticesRohan Bhatt Chairman of the Childrenrsquos Academy Group of Schools said ldquoMany of our teachers did attend the training but those who didnrsquot have received showcause notices Theres still time for some of the remaining training sessions and Irsquove advised them to attend to avoid further issues However many teachers are now exploring legal optionsrdquoBhatt also raised an important question about the rationale behind the largescale requisitioning of staff from unaided schools for election duty He along with other school administrators is seeking clarity on why such a disproportionate number of educators have been called up for these responsibilities and what impact this will have on their schools during this critical periodMeanwhile teachers have alleged the increasing strain placed on unaided schools as they struggle to balance academic responsibilities with the demands of election duty A teacher from a wellknown unaided school in Borivli has expressed frustration over the repeated requisitioning of the same teaching staff for election duty Many educators are concerned that this practice which began during the Lok Sabha elections earlier this year may set a worrying precedent for future elections tooldquoAbout 30 teachers from our school have been called for poll duty again and itrsquos the same group that was called in April for the Lok Sabha electionsrdquo said the teacher adding ldquoLast time we all attended the training and while the officials were kind the working conditions at the venue were poor This time most of us decided not to go fearing wersquoll be called for every election from now onrdquoA poll booth set up for the 2024 general election File PicAshish RajeAnother teacher from a school in Powai echoed similar concerns questioning why unaided schools are being disproportionately targeted for poll duty ldquoThere are so many government offices agencies and even other schools Why are unaided schools being made to send their staff We strongly oppose this Yes wersquove received showcause notices but we already have heavy academic and nonacademic workloads Now on top of that wersquore being asked to attend poll duty training and all this along with missing our Diwali vacationsrdquo the teacher saidInternational schoolMeanwhile around 3035 teachers from JBCN International School at Oshiwara in Andheri also received showcause notices for failing to attend a training session on Saturday The notices sought answers within 24 hours as to why the recipients had failed to attend the training session and mentioned that they would be booked if they went unanswered A teacher from the school told midday ldquoOn Saturday we were to attend the training session but an interschool competition was held that day Because of this we teachers failed to attend the session We will reply in writingrdquo Another teacher said ldquoThe school authorities told us to reply individually to the notices We are not against doing our national duty but had failed to attend the session due to a school eventrdquoOfficial SpeakRajendra Kshirsagar collector and district chief election officer of Mumbai Suburban district said ldquoWe sent notices to school and college teachers as well as government servants who were deployed for election duty and failed to attend training There will be around 7574 booths in the Mumbai Suburban area and we require at least 50000 staffers to conduct the electionJBCN International School at Oshiwara in Andheri where numerous teachers received showcausenotices on ThursdayEvery time we get nervous about the possibility of private school teachers and government servants not carrying out election duty Itrsquos a national duty and their presence is required We are not targeting anyone Issuing showcause notices is to remind them of their job We are giving them a second chance and if they fail to show up for further training sessions and the election we will register FIRs against themrdquoHe added ldquoWithout sufficient manpower itrsquos impossible to conduct the electionrdquo Asked about the showcause notices Stephen James Tumpane the principal of JBCN International School said ldquoI am not an Indian citizen so I donrsquot have any right to comment on this issue I will inform the trustees of the school about the matterrdquoA school official meanwhile said ldquoOn the day of the training we had a preplanned academic event where our teachersrsquo presence was crucial for the safety and security of our learners our top priority We have already secured an alternative date for the training of all our faculty reaffirming our commitment to comply with regulatory requirements and ensuring the safety of our learnersrdquo