The Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process has officially begun across the state from Tuesday, sparking widespread debate and concern in the education sector.
The SIR aims to identify genuine voters through verification based on 11 specified documents and remove names of deceased, migrated, or fake voters from the rolls. “However, the involvement of school teachers as Booth Level Officers (BLOs) for the process has raised alarms about possible disruptions in academic activities,” said an official of the state education department.
Despite the Commission’s earlier directive that only permanent government employees and officials would be appointed as BLOs, hundreds of school teachers have been summoned for the duty. With schools reopening after the Puja holidays and examinations around the corner, headmasters fear that the additional administrative load will severely affect teaching and learning.
According to sources in the Chief Electoral Officer’s (CEO) office, nearly 600 government school teachers who refused to participate in the SIR work have been issued show-cause notices.
Many teachers’ unions have expressed discontent over the workload, unclear duty schedules, and lack of coordination with the Education Department. Allegations of irregularities in the recruitment of over 4,000 BLOs have further complicated the situation.
In several districts, including East Burdwan, the problem is acute. With teacher shortages already plaguing many schools due to corruption-related dismissals, the assignment of teachers as BLOs has stretched resources thin.
Arun Mandal, headmaster of Memari Bohar High School in East Burdwan, said, “Our higher secondary section has 40 students, but only one chemistry teacher and he has been appointed as a BLO. Naturally, this has caused serious difficulties.”
The situation is similar in other districts. Sanjay Barua, headmaster of Narayan Das Bangur Multipurpose School, said, “Five out of ten teachers in the primary section and five out of twenty-six in the secondary section, along with one Group C staff member, have been sent for duty. Managing classes has become extremely difficult.”
However, not all officials share the same level of concern. Malda district secondary-level inspector Banibrata Das stated, “Only a few teachers from high schools have been called for this work. We have ensured that only schools with sufficient staff are affected. Teaching should not be disrupted.”
Yet, many educationists and administrators disagree. Rupak Roy, district president of the Head Teachers’ Association, said, “We had approached the Commission earlier. Though we were assured that teaching would not be hampered, teachers are clearly facing problems now.”
Sources in Vikas Bhavan (the Education Department’s headquarters) confirmed that the department had not been consulted about the decision. “If teachers are taken away without proper planning, it will undoubtedly affect classroom learning,” an official said.
Expressing concern, Chiranjeev Bhattacharya, President of the West Bengal Council of Higher Secondary Education, remarked, “This is a matter of serious concern. We are in touch with the schools and will also speak with the government to take prompt action.”
Headmasters like Raja De of Mitra Institution in Bhowanipore echoed the same frustration: “Teacher posts are already lying vacant due to pending SSC recruitments. Now, with more teachers pulled out for Commission duties, how will normal teaching continue? Teachers cannot be replaced by anyone else.”
As the SIR process continues, the tug-of-war between administrative obligations and educational priorities has once again brought to light the fragile balance between governance and classroom needs in West Bengal’s schools.
Also read: Abhishek warns BJP leaders against misuse of SIR
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