Gurgaon: A fresh directive asking govt schools in Gurgaon to conduct voter awareness activities under the SVEEP (Systematic Voters’ Education and Electoral Participation) campaign during the ongoing summer vacation has triggered resentment.The message circulated to school heads, citing instructions from Election Commission of India and the ADC Gurgaon, ordered schools to organise activities — including essay writing, poster making, quizzes, rallies and voter pledge campaigns — while also submitting daily reports along with two-three “high-quality photographs” of every activity conducted. Marked as “most urgent,” the order left many teachers puzzled as schools remain closed and most children are away for the holidays. Teachers say — with a tinge of sarcasm — they are being forced to “stage activities without students.”Dushyant Thakran, a govt school teacher in Gurgaon, voiced his frustration, saying, “This has reduced a meaningful campaign like SVEEP to a paperwork exercise. We fully support voter awareness, but how are we supposed to conduct essay competitions or rallies without students? Teachers are being compelled to create artificial setups just to generate photo evidence. It not only undermines the purpose of the campaign but also demoralises staff who are already stretched with election duties. Instead of genuine engagement, the focus has shifted to compliance on paper.”The directive comes at a time when Gurgaon and Faridabad have emerged as the two worst-performing districts in the state in the distribution of enumeration forms (EFs). According to data released by the chief electoral officer as of last week on Saturday, around 1.4 crore forms were distributed across the state, covering 70.6% of Haryana’s 2 crore voters. The pace in the two NCR districts, however, remains far below the state average.Gurgaon recorded the second-lowest coverage in Haryana, with booth level officers (BLOs) distributing 7.5 lakh forms among 15 lakh voters, a coverage of just 48.61%. Faridabad fared worse, with 6.9 lakh forms distributed among 18 lakh voters, translating to 36.83% coverage.In absolute terms, more than 8 lakh voters in Gurgaon and nearly 12 lakh in Faridabad are yet to receive forms, a significant gap in the state’s two largest urban centres. In contrast, several districts have already crossed the 80% mark. Kaithal topped the state at 87.77%, followed by Yamunanagar (85.87%), Karnal (84.41%) and Jind (83.26%).Several teachers alleged that, in order to avoid questions from higher authorities, some staff members ended up making posters themselves, posing for photographs and sending reports merely to complete the formality of compliance. “There are no students in schools, yet we are expected to show activities happening daily,” said a teacher on condition of anonymity.District administration officials maintained since the instructions were issued following directions from EC, local authorities could not intervene. Officials said that teachers deployed on SIR-related election duties say they are receiving barely Rs 2,000 a month despite extensive fieldwork and reporting responsibilities. Officials said EC has instructed departments to report names of non-compliant staff, with disciplinary action, including FIRs and chargesheets, possible against those failing to follow orders.
