Spare Punjab teachers from census duty: minister

CHANDIGARH - Government teachers should be spared from doing census work because it has led to the closure of several state-run schools in Punjab, Education Minister Upinderjit Kaur has said.

Kaur has asked the director of census operations and all deputy commissioners to depute only non-teaching staff for census duty, an aide to the minister said Tuesday.

Kaur pointed out that with school teachers assigned census duty, several schools had been forced to close in the absence of teachers.

Kaur said it was the start of the academic session and the absence of teachers now would hit hard the schools.

The minister pointed out that 18,864 teachers from secondary schools and 17,331 primary teachers have been put on census duty in various districts.

In the next phase of census operations, to be held in February and March next year, academic work of schools and students would be again affected as these months were crucial for both students and teachers.

She suggested that supervisors should be deployed for census duty from other departments, and they can be aided by unemployed educated youth.