Pune: Escalating their protest against the imposition of non-academic duties, the Maharashtra State Primary Teachers’ Union on Friday announced a total boycott of duties assigned to them as gram sabha secretaries. The move comes as the state govt attempts to use teachers as a stop-gap for gram sevaks, who are currently refusing to conduct meetings following the death of a colleague.The administrative crisis began after a gram sevak in Jalgaon’s Shivare village died at a hospital following a chaotic and violent gram sabha meeting. In the wake of his death, gram sevaks and gram vikas officers across the state have reportedly refused to conduct proceedings, leading local block development officers (BDOs) to issue orders tasking headmasters, teachers, and Anganwadi workers with these responsibilities.According to a letter issued by a BDO in Pune, these “substitute” secretaries are expected to prepare documents, maintain attendance and agenda records, and document the official proceedings of the gram sabha.However, primary teachers’ unions have slammed the move, arguing that teachers are neither trained for these administrative roles nor protected from the potential volatility of village politics.“How are teachers supposed to conduct gram sabhas? We have no training for this,” said Nitin Memane, vice-president, Maharashtra Rajya Prathamik Shikshan Sangh (Pune). “When villagers ask technical questions about road projects or housing schemes, we won’t have the answers. Years ago, teachers were asked to survey for housing schemes; when the final lists had discrepancies, the villagers held us responsible. We are simply asking the govt to let us teach and let the gram sevaks do their designated work.”The boycott also highlights the mounting frustration over the sheer volume of non-academic work—such as the census and student individual record (SIR) surveys—that keeps teachers away from classrooms.Sunil Lekawale, a headmaster from Bhor, noted that teachers have only recently found time to focus on education after finishing 90% of the SIR work. “Now, we are being pulled into yet another non-academic task. Rural students have no one but us to teach them. We want the govt to allow us the time to prepare for classes and deliver lectures with 100% dedication,” he said.The union leadership also questioned the double standard of the administration. Vijay Kombe, president, Maharashtra Rajya Prathamik Shikshak Samiti, asked, “When we are pulled away for training or census duties, does the govt ask gram sevaks to come and teach our students? If not, why are we expected to do their work?”Kombe warned that forcing untrained teachers into legal and administrative roles is a recipe for disaster. “If a teacher makes a clerical or procedural mistake during a sabha due to a lack of training, who will be held responsible? The govt must resolve its issues with the gram sevaks instead of forcing us into roles that jeopardise our primary duty toward students,” he added.The union has submitted a formal memorandum to the state govt and has appealed to all primary teachers across Maharashtra to refuse any orders related to gram sabha duties.
