Ludhiana, April 25
Former President of the District Congress Committee, Ludhiana (Urban) and Ex-Chairman of the Punjab Large Industrial Development Board, Pawan Dewan has strongly criticized the Punjab government’s decision to depute thousands of government school teachers for census duties, calling it a reckless move that undermines the state’s education system and betrays the trust of students and parents.
In a statement issued here today, Dewan said the government’s repeated practice of pulling teachers out of classrooms for administrative work reflects a “callous disregard for academic priorities.” He noted that the said decision has deepened the crisis in Punjab’s schools, which are already short of staff. “Our children need teachers in classrooms, not at census desks. This government is sacrificing education at the altar of administrative convenience,” he rued.
Dewan pointed out that teachers are already ‘overburdened’ with syllabus completion, remedial classes and exam preparation. Assigning them census duties, which often stretch late into evenings, leaves little time for lesson planning or student support. “This is not governance, this is exploitation of the education workforce,” he said, adding that the move exposes the government’s failure to create alternative manpower for such national exercises.
Dewan also echoed the concerns of teacher unions and parents across Punjab, who had demanded that retired staff or contractual workers be engaged instead. “Why must regular teachers, who are the backbone of our education system, be forced to juggle chalk and census forms? The government must stop treating them as clerical staff,” he asserted.
While acknowledging the importance of census data for welfare planning, Dewan stressed that the government cannot ignore the academic loss caused by this deployment. “Education is not a side duty. It is the foundation of Punjab’s future. By sidelining teachers, the AAP government is sidelining the future of our children,” he said.
Dewan demanded immediate corrective measures, including withdrawal of teachers from census work and engagement of alternative manpower. “The government must choose: either protect the classrooms or admit that it has abandoned education. The people of Punjab will not forgive this betrayal,” he warned.
