Several schoolteachers in Belagavi have stayed away from Social and Educational Survey work, alleging that their deputation was arbitrary and that they are also facing technical issues during enumeration. Teacher representatives said senior officials of the Social Welfare and Education departments issued deputation orders without consulting or taking their consent.
On Tuesday, the teachers staged a protest outside the Tahsildar’s office and submitted a memorandum to the Deputy Commissioner. Many of them did not turn up for duty on Wednesday as well.
Members of the Karnataka State Primary Teachers Association submitted a letter to the State government seeking exemption for elderly, sick, pregnant and disabled teachers. They said they would reconsider their stance if the demand was met. They also urged the government to resolve mobile app glitches and network issues hampering survey work.
Teachers pointed out that rules clearly bar deputation of staff above 58 years of age, pregnant women, and those who are sick or disabled, but these have been ignored. In some cases, even names of deceased employees and those who retired on September 30 were included in the enumerators’ list. Assigning far-off areas to teachers, away from their homes or schools, was also causing inconvenience, they said.
City unit president of the Association, Babu Sogalannavar, noted that survey work would have been simpler if teachers were posted near their homes or schools. “That has not been done. On top of that, many are struggling with app-related and network issues,” he said. “We are not opposed to the survey itself. If the problems are fixed, we are ready. Otherwise, we will not participate.”
District president of the Association, Jayakumar Hebbali, said teachers should be deputed for census duties in their own localities. “We had submitted a list of teachers to be exempted — those above 58 years, disabled, pregnant or suffering from health issues. But it was ignored,” he said. While the Education Department was willing to grant exemptions, the Social Welfare Department refused, he added. “That is the reason we are protesting.”
