Nagpur: Election-related work has once again begun impacting classroom teaching in Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) schools, with the civic body’s education department revising school timings to facilitate teachers engaged in Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.According to instructions issued by the department, all single-shift primary and secondary schools will function from 7.30am to 12.30pm from July 11 to July 29. Schools operating in two shifts will follow their existing Saturday schedule during the same period.The change was made to enable teachers, many of whom are serving as booth level officers (BLOs), to devote the remaining part of the day to electoral roll revision and SIR mapping work.Teachers, however, said the arrangement has further reduced the time available for classroom teaching. “Most govt school teachers are engaged in BLO and election duties for almost the entire day. Along with teachers, even clerical staff and peons are assigned election-related work, leaving schools struggling to function normally,” said a teacher on condition of anonymity.They argued that while the govt expects municipal schools to match the standards of CBSE institutions, frequent deployment of teaching staff for non-academic duties makes that objective increasingly difficult to achieve.Educationists pointed out that repeated diversion of teachers to election, Census and survey-related assignments affects continuity in teaching, lesson planning and remedial support, particularly for students requiring additional academic attention.NMC currently runs 113 primary schools and 28 high schools. The civic body’s primary schools have an enrolment of 7,645 students, while its junior colleges have 4,729 students.Officials maintained that election-related duties are statutory in nature and schools have been rescheduled to minimise disruption. However, teachers said that with a significant portion of the academic session already underway, prolonged engagement in electoral work is likely to affect learning outcomes unless alternative arrangements are made.INFOBOXNMC schools affected* Revised timings: 7.30am to 12.30pm* Period: July 11 to July 29* Reason: Teachers deployed for Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls* NMC schools: 113 primary, 28 high schools* Primary school enrolment: 7,645 students
