Nagpur: School associations and teacher union leaders have expressed anger over the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) move to seek police action against school staff for allegedly refusing census duty. They say that census work should first be assigned to govt employees and teachers from govt schools where student enrolment is negligible. One of the stakeholders said that if private school teachers are being asked to do census duty, then govt should also rope in employees of private companies.The associations said that private unaided schools should be called upon only if shortage of manpower persists after drawing staff from govt schools, grant-in-aid institutions and other govt departments. They also said that with the exam season underway, teachers are already overburdened with academic work.The issue came to the fore after the NMC wrote to police seeking registration of FIR against school staff members for allegedly refusing to comply with duties assigned under the ongoing Census 2026-27 exercise.Rajabhau Taksale, vice-president, Unaided Schools Welfare Association, said, “I just don’t understand the logic of targeting teachers from unaided schools over census duty. Govt must first take all teachers from their own schools, after that tap into grant-in-aid schools, then other govt departments. I am sure this will suffice with extra manpower being available.”“Most of our teachers work at the school for 11 months before resuming during the next session. How can we ask them to take up census duty? Govt is paying hefty salaries to their own teachers while our schools are completely self-financed. We never get any grant or any financial benefit from the govt, yet they are threatening our schools with police action,” Taksale added.Sanjay Tayde-Patil, president, Maharashtra English State Trustees Association, said, “NMC is exceeding its brief by seeking police action against teachers. If this continues, we will be left with no choice other than hitting the streets against such diktats.”SC Kedia, president of Unaided Schools Forum, said, “Our stand is very clear that teachers cannot be involved in non-academic works. We have internal exams going on, board exam evaluation is ongoing, new sessions have already started for Class 9 and 10. If private unaided school teachers are being roped in then why not employees of private companies? We are planning to file a writ petition in the high court against the govt’s actions.“
