Kolkata, July 8 -- The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) has urged the District Inspector of Schools (Primary Education), Kolkata, to issue a circular directing all headmasters, headmistresses, teachers and school clerical staff to mandatorily participate in Census 2027 work, citing reluctance from some educational institutions to release personnel for the exercise.

In a letter dated July 8, the KMC's Special Municipal Commissioner and Additional Principal Census Officer said the Census had commenced in West Bengal, including areas under the civic body's jurisdiction, and that requisitions for teachers and assistant teachers to serve as enumerators and supervisors had already been placed. The letter noted that a database of the required manpower had already been received from the education authorities.

The civic body, however, said several school heads had informed it that they were unable to spare teachers because of staff shortages. It also noted that many teachers had submitted applications seeking exemption from census duties on various grounds.

Referring to the Census Act, 1948, KMC said enumerators and supervisors are appointed under statutory provisions and that refusal to perform census duties is punishable with a fine of up to Rs 1000. In the event of conviction, imprisonment of up to three years may also apply. The letter also sought to reassure schools that Census 2027 would be conducted in two phases rather than as a continuous exercise. It said the work schedule would be flexible, allowing teachers to discharge census responsibilities within the prescribed time frame. KMC requested the District Inspector of Schools to immediately communicate the directive to all schools so that deployed teachers and clerical staff report for census duties as scheduled.

Reacting to the development, Animesh Haldar of the Secondary Teachers' and Employees' Association (STEA) opined that the large-scale deployment of teachers for Census 2027 would further strain government schools already facing acute staff shortages due to years of inadequate recruitment. He said assigning most teachers and non-teaching staff from schools to census work would disrupt classes, examinations, evaluation and completion of the syllabus.

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.