Schools urged to deploy student volunteers amidst Special Intensive Revision in Kerala; teachers raise concerns
Kozhikode, November 25
The educational institutions in Kozhikode and Thrissur received official letters from Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) on Tuesday requesting the deployment of student volunteers, including NSS, NCC, Scouts, Guides, and Souhrida Club members for the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral roll.
As per the notification issued by the Election Commission of India on October 27, the SIR process is currently underway, and Booth Level Officers (BLOs) are engaged in large-scale fieldwork involving the distribution, collection, and digitisation of Enumeration Forms.
To complete the process within the ECI's tight schedule, the EROs have sought additional manpower from schools and colleges, requesting that volunteers be made available until November 30.
However, teachers have expressed concern over the move, that deploying students during the ongoing examination period would cause inconvenience.
The appeal for student volunteers comes at a time when BLOs themselves have raised grievances about heavy workload.
Recently, BLOs in Kondotty taluk, Malappuram, submitted a representation to the Tehsildar highlighting that the increasing pressure and the burden of executing almost all tasks single-handedly had become unmanageable.
The request letter issued in Kozhikode, signed by the Deputy Collector (RR) and the Electoral Registration Officers for Elathur and Beypore, underscores the urgency, stating that additional support is essential to the time-bound completion of SIR activities.
As the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process continues, a Booth Level Officer (BLO) at Anappady West LP School in Tavanur constituency, Kerala, was removed from duty for allegedly behaving rudely towards the public, said District Collector V.R. Vinod on Tuesday.
An explanation has been sought from the officer. Praseena, a teacher at Cheriya Parappur AMLP School, has been appointed as the new BLO.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Actually, I think this could be a good learning experience for students. Understanding how democracy works from ground level is valuable. But yes, they should ensure it doesn't affect their studies.
The BLOs are clearly overworked, but using students as stopgap solutions isn't the answer. The system needs proper staffing and planning. Why wait until the last minute and disrupt education?
As a parent, I'm worried about my child's board exams. This additional responsibility during crucial academic time is unacceptable. The government should hire temporary staff instead of disturbing students.
The incident with the BLO being removed shows how much pressure everyone is under. Maybe student volunteers could help, but only if it's voluntary and doesn't affect their studies. Compulsory deployment is wrong.
Interesting to see how Kerala handles this situation. The state has good educational standards, so disrupting studies for electoral work seems counterproductive. There must be better solutions available.
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