MLC says no to election duty for teachers in Maharashtra

According to MLC Satyajeet Tambe, relieving only Mumbai teachers is an injustice to teachers across the state.

Mumbai: Close on the heels of MNS President Raj Thackeray expressing concern over teachers being asked to election duties as it affects the education of students, Independent MLC Satyajeet Tambe has demanded that teachers from across Maharashtra should be relieved of election duties and not just teachers from Mumbai city and suburbs.

Notably, the state Election Commission directed to exclude school teachers from Mumbai from election work.

Tambe demanded that the circular be withdrawn at the earliest and that a new directive should be issued that relieves teachers from all over the state.

In a letter to the Chief Electoral Officer of Maharashtra, Tambe said the loss of education of students is not just limited to Mumbai.

"Teachers across the state are put on election duty and students across the state suffer. As the teachers are given extra school work like census, election duty, they neglect the important work of education. It directly affects the students. Therefore, the Commission needs to issue the order for the entire state, not just for Mumbai," Tambe stated.

According to him, relieving only Mumbai teachers is an injustice to teachers across the state.

"While the Commission's order for teachers in Mumbai city and suburbs is welcome, the issue is not limited to Mumbai. In many schools in the state, the number of teachers is less. Today, 90 per cent of teachers are out for extracurricular activities, especially for election purposes. In such cases, the students suffer educational losses after teachers are assigned such extracurricular activities. If this is a statewide issue, how did the Chief Electoral Officer give a decision only for Mumbai?" asked Tambe.