In Sardarpur, Madhya Pradesh, government teachers are currently engaged in preparing caste certificates for students, going against a Supreme Court order that forbids using teachers for non-educational purposes. This order was implemented in accordance with the Right to Education Act, which allowed for teachers to solely focus on academic activities. Teachers have accused sub-divisional magistrate Shivam Prajapati of engaging them in non-academic work and negatively impacting academic progress.
Educational facilities in Sardarpur are mostly utilized by individuals from tribal communities, who exhibit a lower literacy rate compared to other regions of the district. Teachers have stated that they carried out caste certificate preparations in addition to leading students for exams. They have dedicated 60% of their usual routine to accomplishing these duties and have encountered difficulties with regards to difficulty in procuring documents from parents, along with a shortage of patwari reports.
As a result, teachers are currently facing difficulty dividing their time between two important tasks. The new academic session is slated to begin on June 10th, alongside new admissions, supplementary exams, and home contact campaigns. Meanwhile, SDM Prajapati is pressuring teachers through Jan Shikshak to complete the caste certificate process. Teachers are torn between prioritizing government orders and departmental regulations.
Nearly 250 teachers are currently carrying out BLO work in preparation for the upcoming assembly elections. Moreover, summer vacation orders for teachers remain unmet, with BLO work and caste certificate preparations adding to their tasks. Teachers have expressed frustration with the amount of non-academic work they are expected to undertake in addition to teaching, stating that despite performing multiple duties throughout the year, they are often held responsible for students’ poor grades and underperformance. In fact, last year, a female teacher from Phoolgavdi village lost her life due to the immense stress caused by managing both academic roles and BLO work.
