Kozhikode (Kerala) [India], November 26 : Kerala Education Minister V Sivankutty expressed his concern in the wake of educational institutions in Kozhikode and Thrissur having received official letters from Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) 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.
He said that strict instructions have been issued to education department officials to ensure that students' learning is not disrupted.
Speaking to reporters, V Sivankutty said, "The demand by some revenue officials to deploy National Service Scheme (NSS) and NCC student volunteers for election-related duties, including the revision of the voter list, will adversely affect children's studies... According to the Right to Education Act, students' instructional time must be protected. Although the NSS and NCC encourage extracurricular activities and social service, it is not proper to continuously keep students out of regular classes on academic days to engage them in office work and field duties."
"Using children for official tasks unrelated to educational purposes amounts to a violation of their right to education. Strict instructions have been issued to education department officials to ensure that students' learning is not disrupted," he said.
At present, as part of the intensive verification of the electoral roll, a total of 5,623 personnel working under the education department have been appointed as Booth Level Officers. This includes 2,938 teachers, 2,104 non-teaching staff and 581 other employees.
V Sivankutty further said, "The state government has urged the Central Government to immediately release the SSK fund. The state has sent a letter to the Centre pointing this out. The SSK fund has not been released for the past two and a half years. Out of Rs 456 crore, only Rs 91.42 crore has been sanctioned by the Centre. BJP's state leaders and Union ministers are intervening in withholding the funds. The state BJP leadership and the Union ministers from Kerala have a role in blocking the funds in this manner. They must respond to this, or take steps to ensure that the money that rightfully belongs to the state is released."
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.