Noida: As govt schools in Noida shut for summer vacation till June 15, principals have been put on an unusual duty roster — safeguarding school property. Principals said they have virtually been turned into “watchmen” after the basic education department ordered they will be held responsible if items such as laptops, inverters, projectors, speakers and remote controls are stolen during the break.An official order by basic education officer Rahul Panwar read, “Instructions have been issued for the safekeeping of IT equipment received in schools through departmental, CSR, NGO and other sources, including Smart TVs, Smart Class sets, inverters, batteries, projectors and projector remotes, laptops/desktops, mouse devices, extension boards, speaker sets, etc., during the vacation period. During this period, the principals of the respective schools shall be responsible for ensuring the safety and proper maintenance of all such equipment in their schools.”In the past, there have been thefts at schools where burglars allegedly broke locks and even walls to steal mid-day meal utensils, old school records and other equipment. It has sparked resentment among teachers, who argued that instead of strengthening security arrangements, the department has shifted the burden entirely onto principals.“Teachers are now doing everything except teaching,” a govt school teacher said on condition of anonymity. “First, there was SIR duty and now the Census duty is also being imposed on it. Election work, surveys, documentation — every possible govt duty comes to schools. If this continues, nobody will want to become a teacher in future.”Another teacher said principals cannot realistically monitor schools during a month-long vacation. She said many principals stay far away from the schools. “How can they protect expensive equipment if thieves break in at night? This is the job of guards and security staff, not teachers,” she said.A senior educator described the situation as ‘humiliating’ for the profession. “Teachers are slowly becoming clerks. We are handling files, uploading data, attending surveys and now being treated like chowkidars. If anything gets stolen, the principal becomes the easiest target,” he said.Praveen Sharma, principal at Tughalpur Upper Primary School and district resident of Noida Primary School Association, said the department should focus on institutional security instead of fixing liability on individual heads. He questioned if govt offices can have guards, CCTV systems and maintenance budgets, why schools are lacking security infrastructure.“Police should increase patrolling near the school areas during summer vacation. It will also help anti-social elements stay away from school premises at other times too. Holding principals solely responsible without providing support is unfair. Teachers anyway lock the equipment in almirahs; however, if burglars break into the school, who can help?” he said.
