Karnataka teachers welcome proposed law limiting teachers to non-academic activities

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According to the draft legislation, the government has to maintain district-wise rolls of non-teaching personnel from all the departments, corporations, PSUs, and retired public employees and must utilise these people on priority for non-academic activities like SIR, census duty, etc. | Photo Credit: File photo

Teachers across Karnataka have welcomed the proposed legislation to regulate the deployment of teachers for non-academic activities such as revision of electoral rolls, census duty, socio-educational surveys and election work. They have urged the government to pass the legislation at the earliest so that academic activities can be completed on time.

Chandrashekar Nuggali, general secretary of the Karnataka State Primary School Teachers’ Association (KPSTA), said: “The association had met Education Department officials and School Education and Literacy Minister Madhu Bangarappa to discuss several issues, including relieving teachers of non-academic duties. Last year, they were deployed for the Social and Educational Survey in Karnataka. This year, they have been engaged in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) since June 2026. Next, there will be a population census across the country and we do not want teachers to be deployed for census duty.” This, he said, was seriously affecting academics.

Mr. Nuggali said officials had assured the association that the legislation would be passed during the winter session in December.

Devaraje Gowda, a Karnataka Public School (KPS) teacher in Channarayapatna, welcomed the State government’s move. “Teachers in our school and other government schools start their day as early as 6 a.m. because of the SIR. Around 9 a.m., they come to school to teach students. Some teachers attend to SIR work during lunch breaks and after school hours. They are struggling to complete the syllabus even as examinations are approaching,” he said.

He added that teachers hardly have time to improve their skills or learn something new to implement in classrooms.

According to the draft legislation, the government has to maintain district-wise rolls of non-teaching personnel from all the departments, corporations, PSUs, and retired public employees and must utilise these people on priority for non-academic activities like SIR, census duty, etc. No government school teacher must be deployed for non-educational work unless the jurisdictional deputy commissioner issues a letter that no non-teaching personnel are available for duty.

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