Tripura Congress Demands Teachers Be Excused From Census Duties

Agartala: Tripura Congress wants the state government to pull school teachers off census duty. The Tripura Pradesh Congress Committee president Asish Kumar Saha wrote to Chief Minister Manik Saha this week. He argues that dragging staff away from schools hurts kids. Teachers need to teach, not manage administrative chores.

The state has 18,000 vacant teaching posts right now. NITI Aayog reports show over 450 government schools operate with just one teacher. Congress officials want the government to hire educated contractual workers for the upcoming Census 2027 instead. The first phase of this census, covering house listing and enumeration, runs from August 1 to August 30.

Asish Kumar Saha says the current system puts too much strain on staff. "The state government frequently speaks about improving education, but the growing shortage of teachers is placing an enormous burden on those currently in service. Teachers should primarily focus on educating students rather than being repeatedly assigned administrative responsibilities," he stated.

Beyond census work, the Congress wants teachers relieved of their roles as Booth Level Officers. They also worry about a recent Supreme Court ruling. The court demands that in-service teachers hold a B.Ed. qualification. This mandate could threaten the jobs of nearly 10,000 teachers in Tripura. Asish Kumar Saha urged the state to push the Centre for a relaxation of the rules to avoid further staff shortages. He demanded an immediate and transparent recruitment drive to fix the holes in the education department.