Chandigarh: Punjab govt school teachers on Wednesday hit out at the education department’s latest directive that asks them to register as enumerators for the state’s first-ever ‘Drug and Socio-Economic Census’.As per orders issued by the director (school education) to district education officers (DEOs), both regular and contractual teachers are to be enrolled for the exercise. The instructions also note that the education secretary will review enrolment figures daily, urging maximum participation. The selected enumerators will conduct door-to-door surveys.The census aims to determine the scale of drug abuse, identify substances being used, and examine links with socio-economic factors such as unemployment, poverty and education levels.Teacher unions, however, have objected to what they describe as yet another non-academic burden being placed on educators. They questioned whether tasks like identifying drug users fall within the scope of a teacher’s responsibilities. “From election duties to stubble monitoring, from EC exercises to preparing health scheme cards, teachers are repeatedly assigned non-teaching work. Despite assurances that teachers will focus only on education, such orders continue,” said Vikram Dev, president of Democratic Teachers’ Front (DTF), criticising the move.DTF said the govt initially invited voluntary participation across departments for the 45-day exercise, which offered an honorarium of Rs 62,500. However, due to limited response, education authorities are now allegedly pressuring teachers to enrol.DTF general secretary Mahendra Kaurianwali pointed out that over 20,000 teachers were already engaged in booth-level officer (BLO) duties, often keeping them away from classrooms for extended periods. He added teachers are simultaneously handling exam-related work, school infrastructure responsibilities, training programmes, and upcoming admission drives.Union leaders warned that assigning such duties could disrupt teaching and affect students’ learning, as teachers may remain mentally disengaged from academic work during the survey period.They urged the state govt to instead involve unemployed youth or volunteers from organisations working in drug rehabilitation. According to them, this approach would not only safeguard the education system but also create temporary employment opportunities.
