Hire Jobless Graduates for Census Work, Teachers May Chip In for Pay Nagpur: A schools’ body in Maharashtra has urged the state government to hire unemployed graduates for Census duties on a contractual basis, rather than requiring teachers to take on the responsibility. The Maharashtra English School Trustees Association (MESTA) argued that teachers are already burdened with examinations, evaluation tasks, and the start of the new academic session, making it impractical for them to handle additional responsibilities like Census work. The association also expressed concerns over the government’s warning of filing FIRs against teachers who fail to comply with Census duty orders. MESTA president Sanjay Tayde-Patil emphasized that the government could engage unemployed graduates for the exercise and indicated the association’s willingness to mobilize financial support to fund their honorarium. “Teachers are already occupied with critical academic responsibilities. Assigning them Census work at this stage is not feasible. If needed, we will request teachers from unaided schools to contribute towards an honorarium pool for those engaged in Census duty,” he said. According to MESTA office-bearers, even small contributions from teachers could generate a significant fund. “If each teacher contributes Rs100, the pool could reach around Rs10 crore, and potentially exceed Rs50 crore if higher contributions are made,” Tayde-Patil added. He noted that since the Census is conducted once a decade, such financial support would not be a recurring burden. School principals echoed the concerns, stating they are caught in a difficult position as releasing teachers for Census duties would disrupt academic work, while non-compliance could lead to legal action.#maharashtra #maharashtra_english_school_trustees_association #sanjay_tayde_patil #census #mesta
