Nagpur: A schools’ body in Maharashtra has urged the state govt to hire unemployed graduates for Census duty on contractual basis rather than teachers to avoid disruption of academic schedule in schools.The Maharashtra English School Trustees Association (MESTA) said teachers are already burdened with examinations, evaluation duties, and the commencement of the new academic session, making it impractical for them to take on additional responsibilities like Census work. The association also raised concerns over the govt’s warning of filing FIRs against teachers who fail to comply with Census duty orders.MESTA president Sanjay Tayde-Patil said the govt could engage unemployed graduates for the exercise and indicated that the association is willing to mobilise financial support to fund their honorarium. “Teachers are already occupied with critical academic responsibilities. Assigning them Census work at this stage is not feasible. If needed, we will request teachers from unaided schools to contribute towards an honorarium pool for those engaged in Census duty,” he said.According to MESTA office-bearers, even small contributions from teachers could generate a significant fund. “If each teacher contributes Rs100, the pool could reach around Rs10 crore, and potentially exceed Rs50 crore if higher contributions are made,” said Tayde-Patil, adding since the Census is conducted once in a decade, such financial support would not be a recurring burden.Meanwhile, school principals said they are caught in a difficult position, as releasing teachers for Census duty would affect academic work, while non-compliance could invite FIR. “Schools are currently handling overlapping responsibilities, including internal examinations, board evaluation, and the start of new classes, leaving little room to spare staff,” said the principal.Another principal said schools are not opposed to participating in Census work, but stressed that the timing is problematic. “Balancing administrative directives with academic commitments has become increasingly challenging. Diverting teachers at this stage directly impacts students and disrupts tightly scheduled timelines,” the principal added.
