Dimapur, February 8 (MExN): The Supreme Court of India had earlier ruled that teachers cannot be deployed for election duties and on this, the All Nagaland School Teachers’ Association (ANSTA) reminds the state election chiefs to uphold the judgment and exempt the teaching community. (Referring to the Supreme Court’s judgment that teachers cannot be deployed on election duty) “…the Supreme Court has upheld the Delhi High Court Judgment asserting that schools teachers cannot be deployed for election duty during working days” stated a letter from ANSTA addressed to Nagaland Chief Electoral Officer CJ Ponraj. The teachers reminded that a bench comprising of Justice SB Sinha and Justice HS Bedi had put their seal of approval on the Delhi High Court ruling by dismissing the appeal made by the Election Commission of India against the court’s verdict.
“As contained in the said judgment that deploying of school teachers in the election duty hampers the academic interest and career of the students (and) schools. It is worth mentioning that by nature, teachers’ assignment is duty bound to teach the students and complete the contents syllabus within the given time frame” the ANSTA informed through Kepelhoutuo Chusi, president and N Thungchio Shitire, general secretary. The association in this regard had also submitted a representation in this regard but the matter was not considered. “The reason being, when the Teachers are deployed as Presiding Officer and Polling Officer etc., they have to undergo electioneering training and requires number of days for polling arrangement to be carried out by neglecting their bonafide classroom activities” the teachers explained. The association requests the CEO to consider the said ruling of the Supreme Court and ensure that no school teacher is deployed in the coming state general election…so as to avoid the inconvenience of running regular classes as well as ongoing HSLC/HSSLC coaching classes of which the examination shall be held right after the election is over.”
