Protests are held in Gujarat over the ‘disproportionate work allocation’ for government teachers since the launch of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in the state. Photos arranged
Teachers on the brink: Deaths, threats, and unbearable SIR workload in Gujarat
Teachers' association demands relief after four teachers, one staffer die on duty; educators protest ‘disproportionate workload’ , threats like arrest warrants
Last week, four teachers serving as booth level officers (BLO) have died in Gujarat, sparking outrage among the teaching community across the state.
Government teachers from various districts have submitted memorandums to their respective Collectors, protesting against what they described as the ‘disproportionate work allocation’ for government teachers since the launch of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in Gujarat.
Hiren Vyas, the senior vice-president of Gujarat wing of a national teachers' association, Akhil Bharatiya Rashtriya Shaikshik Mahasangh (ABRSM), Gujarat, told The Federal that they have been demanding exemption for teachers who are pregnant, those who are above 45 to 50 years of age and for teachers who are differently abled, but their requests have been steadily ignored by the government.
“It has not even been a month since we started work as BLOs and already four teachers are dead because they couldn’t take the excessive workload. All those who died are above 45 years,” Vyas pointed out.
Why only teachers?
In Gujarat, 50,963 government employees have been assigned as BLOs for the verification of 5.08 crore voters (as per the data of state EC) and the majority of them are government school teachers.
Also read: SIR drive: BLO duty under spotlight as Gujarat reports two deaths in 48 hours
In an interview to The Federal, a primary school teacher from Ahmedabad said, “The EC guideline dictates that government teachers and other government staff should share the work involved in the SIR process and that it should be a rotational duty between teachers and other staff. In Gujarat, however, the majority of the BLOs are teachers while other government staff have not been asked to work additionally as a BLO.”
Further, the teacher asked, “We have been asked to work from November 4 and told to complete the SIR process by December 4. How is that possible? And, why is that only the teachers have been given additional duties not just during SIR but also during any government event held throughout the year?”
“If the work load isn’t bad enough, the teachers are being threatened with legal consequences if we refuse or we are late to reach the duty location. Teachers should be awarded more dignity that that,” she said.
Toll on teachers
Meanwhile, the ABRSM, wrote a letter to Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, stating that going to door-to-door after school hours is extremely tiring for teachers, who form around 90 per cent of the total strength of BLOs in Gujarat. Most of the teachers are working in the field till 8 pm or 9 pm and then return home to digitize the documents till the wee hours in the morning.
The task is taking a toll on the health and impacting the daily life of the teachers, they said.
Vyas pointed out that as per the guidelines of the Election Commission, the BLO duties are to be distributed among twelve categories of government and semi-government staff.
He said, “But, in Gujarat, more than 90 per cent of the total number of BLOs are school teachers. This itself is discriminatory towards the teachers. Additionally, there were arrest warrants issued against a few teachers while others were threatened with consequences, when they reached the duty location late post Diwali. A considerable number of teachers have been assigned in locations that are 200 to 300 kilometres away from their hometowns and their request for relocation isn’t being heard.”
Also read: Why rollout of SIR has made Gujarat's Muslims and tribals anxious
“While SIR work is important, the government should also see that teachers aren’t treated in this way,” stressed Vyas.
BLO deaths
On November 22, two assistant Booth Level Officers (BLOs) died of heart attack in Gujarat taking the death of BLOs to five in the state. Among the BLOs who died were 56-year-old Kalpanaben Patel and 50-year-old Ushaben Solanki.
Patel, a resident of Madhi village in Bardoli taluka of Surat district, was working as a school principal in a government primary school in Beldha village in Tapi district. She was assigned to work as an assistant BLO in the ongoing SIR of the electoral rolls in Gujarat.
Usha Solanki, clerical staff member, who died of a heart attack
“Kalpana had no history of any heart disorder and neither did she complain of chest pain before. But, on November 21, she ca late from her work as a BLO and began to complain of chest pain. We rushed her to hospital in Bardoli but she died after hours of treatment. We were told she had a massive episode of cardiac arrest,” Shantilal Patel, Kalpana’s husband and a retired government school teacher told The Federal.
Patel added that there was “massive pressure” on her to complete her share of the work.
“She has been a teacher for over 15 years and used to travel back home every weekend. But I have never seen her tired or complaining of workload. Since the SIR work began, she would return home late in the night and step out early in the morning by 6 am to attend school. After school, she was required to constantly move around in Beldha village till about 8 or 9 pm in the night. By the time she reached home, she was too tired to even eat on some days,” added Patel.
Under pressure
A day after the death of Patel, Usha Solanki, another assistant BLO, collapsed on duty in the Kadak Bazaar area of Vadodara and was rushed to the SSG hospital in the city, where she was declared dead. She had suffered a heart attack.
Solanki, who was a clerical staff of the Women’s Industrial Training Institute and Skill Certification Center in Gorwa in Vadodara, is the only non-teaching staff to have died while on SIR duty.
“She had cardiac issues for a long time and had requested to be recused from BLO duty but this was denied by the Collector,” said Usha’s husband, Indrasinh Solanki.
Earlier last week, two government school teachers, Anil Vaghera in Junagadh, and Ramesh Parmar in Kheda ended their lives. While another teacher Binu Bamaniya from Godhra, posted a distressed video threatening to end his life since he was unable to cope with the ‘excessive work pressure and unmanageable work expectations’.
Anil Vaghera from Junagadh who ended his life
Three other BLOs have died due to heart attacks so far while another teacher Zulfikar Pathan in Padra in Vadodara district had to be admitted in hospital after fainting on duty.
“We are expected to fill and submit 200 forms a day. If we refuse, we are being threatened with dire consequences. I cannot take such insults and the immense pressure of this work. If no authority is willing to hear our issues, I will be forced to take extreme steps,” Bamaniya said in the video that he posted on social media.
No reaction
On November 24, two BLOs collapsed on duty in Jamnagar and Chota Udepur and are currently hospitalised. However, the struggles faced by BLOs appear to be going unnoticed as the state government too has remained silent on the issue.
Meanwhile, the Election Commission in Gujarat has released a few videos of BLOs on social media claiming that their workload is not difficult and is on the verge of being completed.
