The exercise would not disrupt academic activities and that teachers would only be required for limited hours over a period of one month: Dy CM
By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, May 7: The state government on Thursday defended the engagement of schoolteachers for Census 2027 house-listing work, maintaining that the exercise would not disrupt academic activities and that teachers would only be required for limited hours over a period of one month.
Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong said the first phase of the exercise had been calculated to take only 30 days and insisted that the workload would not be excessive.
He explained that teachers assigned to designated villages could carry out the work for two to four hours after school hours in coordination with traditional heads and Rangbah Shnongs.
According to him, the work mainly involves household enumeration using prescribed forms and would cover only a few households each day.
Tynsong also said the teachers engaged in the exercise would receive financial incentives, stating that the government plans to provide a lump sum payment ranging between Rs 15,000 and Rs 20,000 for the month-long assignment.
Maintaining that the exercise was not being undertaken solely at the initiative of the state government, he pointed out that the Block Development Officers (BDOs) of the respective blocks are the officers in charge of the process.
According to the deputy chief minister, teachers would only be engaged after consultations with Rangbah Shnongs, managing committees and the concerned departments. He said formal engagement orders would be issued only after the consultation process is completed.
It may be mentioned that the government’s clarification comes amid opposition from the Jaintia National Council (JNC), Khliehriat Circle, which has petitioned the Deputy Commissioner of East Jaintia Hills for a halt to the deployment of schoolteachers for the Census 2027 house-listing exercise.
In its representation to the Deputy Commissioner and Principal Census Officer, JNC-Khliehriat Circle working president Diamon Bareh had argued that diverting teachers for Census duties undermines the education of tribal students and violates the spirit of the Right to Education Act, 2009.
The organisation maintained that although Census duty is legally permitted, it should not result in empty classrooms or affect mandatory pupil-teacher ratios in schools.
The JNC had also questioned why teachers were being engaged despite central funds being earmarked for the census exercise.
It suggested that the decision reflected administrative convenience rather than necessity and proposed that local civilian enumerators could instead be appointed for the work.
