School or Census?: Calcutta HC questions teacher deployment, workload

The Calcutta High Court has questioned the West Bengal government's decision to deploy large numbers of government school teachers for Census 2027 work while expecting them to continue their regular teaching duties.

During a hearing on Friday, 14 August, Justice Krishna Rao questioned how teachers could conduct classes during school hours and then travel to Census locations to carry out door-to-door work. The court also criticised the apparent lack of planning before teachers were assigned Census duties.

"When are the teachers supposed to conduct classes, and when are they supposed to carry out Census work?" Justice Rao asked.

The judge questioned why the state had deployed so many teachers at the same time instead of using a smaller number in rotation. He suggested that four or five teachers could be assigned at a time, with different groups working on alternate days if necessary. "Make alternative arrangements. When are the teachers supposed to go home?" he asked.

The court also questioned whether teachers' personal details had been properly examined before they were assigned. Justice Rao asked the state's counsel, "Why were their bio-datas not examined before assigning them to Census work? Why didn't you check where they commute from?"

The issue is particularly difficult for teachers who live far from their schools or have been assigned locations far from both their homes and workplaces. The judge questioned whether it was realistic for teachers to travel around 40 km a day for Census duties in addition to their normal school responsibilities.

At another point, the judge observed, "Teachers conduct classes even on Saturdays and are in school from 10.00 am to 4.00 pm. So where do they find the time for Census work?"

The dispute arose after the school education department said teachers could perform Census duties after school hours, at weekends or on holidays. This led to resentment among a section of teachers, who argued that door-to-door Census work after a full day at school was neither practical nor fair. 

A group of government school teachers, including 31 primary teachers, subsequently approached the high court. They have not refused to perform Census duties. Instead, they have demanded that such work be officially treated as 'on duty'.

The issue has also exposed differences in how teachers are being treated across local bodies. A section of teachers has claimed that municipalities such as Siliguri and Kalyani have granted 'on-duty' status to teachers engaged in census work, while the Kolkata Municipal Corporation has not issued a similar direction.

Swapan Mondal, general-secretary of the Census Workers' United Forum, questioned the alleged inconsistency. "In various municipalities, including Siliguri and Kalyani, teachers have been granted ‘on-duty’ status for census work. Yet, the Kolkata Municipal Corporation has issued no such directive. Why is there such inconsistency across districts for the same task?" he said.

Mondal also argued that Census work should be treated as official duty rather than something teachers must complete after regular working hours. Teachers have argued that the Census Act, 1948, requires those engaged in Census duties to be treated as being on duty.

The tension reached the Kolkata Municipal Corporation earlier this week when a group of teachers went to the civic body's office to meet Census official Smita Pandey to complain about their assignments and the difficulties they were facing. 

Supriya Mondal, a teacher, from Behala described the practical difficulties of the current arrangement. "I live in Behala and teach at a government school. The authorities have directed us to carry out Census work only after finishing our school duties. I was assigned a ward in central Kolkata; commuting there from Behala takes hours. I had requested ward no. 132, but that didn't happen. How am I supposed to work under these circumstances?" Mondal asked.

Teacher Shantanu Boral said he teaches in Belgachhia but travels every day from Raidighi. He was assigned Census work in Garfa. He also claimed to have noticed errors in the official arrangements and feared that proceeding despite those problems could create legal difficulties later.

There are also concerns among some teachers about facing hostility while conducting door-to-door surveys. One teacher, who did not wish to be named, said, "Many of our colleagues are scared that they might be harassed by the people." 

She said residents were asking teachers about government schemes and policies, despite the fact that the teachers had no role in making such decisions. "People everywhere are asking us about the social schemes that have been stopped by the BJP government after coming to power three months ago. We have no answers or any clarity," she said. "But common people fail to understand that we are just doing door-to-door surveys despite being teachers and have no connection with government policies."

The BJP Teachers' Cell, meanwhile, has argued that teachers should cooperate with the Census in the interest of students and the wider public. Some teachers, however, have demanded that school education minister Deepak Barman withdraw the instruction to conduct Census work after school hours or on holidays, calling it unlawful. 

The high court has now asked the petitioners to submit details of their places of residence, schools, working hours and commuting distances to the state's additional advocate-general. The state will examine the information and inform the court on Tuesday how the teachers can be deployed.