Maharashtra education minister vows to cut non-teaching duties for teachers

School Education Minister Dada Bhuse assured on Monday that the number of nonacademic tasks assigned to teachers would be significantly reduced in the coming days He made this announcement during a oneday educational development workshop in Igatpuri attended by teachers from across MaharashtraFor years teachers have protested against being assigned nonacademic duties arguing that such responsibilities take away valuable time from their primary role Addressing these concerns Bhuse said ldquoTeachersrsquo extracurricular and nonacademic activities will be reduced by half in the future Additionally the government is considering merging all school committees into a single active committee to streamline administrative workrdquoMahendra Ganpule school principalsrsquo body right Vijay Kombey president Maharashtra State Primary Teachers CommitteeHe encouraged teachers to enhance the quality of Marathimedium schools ldquoTeachers should work in such a way that in the future students from Englishmedium schools would seek admission to Marathimedium schoolsrdquo Bhuse saidTeachers and schools reactVijay Kombey state president of the Maharashtra State Primary Teachers Committee said ldquoMany of these tasks such as submitting various reports to the education department are unrelated to teaching and consume valuable instructional time Teachers are already stretched thin with their core responsibilities We appreciate the ministerrsquos assurance but urge swift implementation especially with exams and evaluation duties approaching Even reducing such tasks to once a month or fortnight would bring significant relief as it is not feasible for teachers to handle these duties dailyrdquoMahendra Ganpule state spokesperson for the Maharashtra School Principalsrsquo Association said ldquoAt times 50 to 60 per cent of a schoolrsquos staff is occupied with nonacademic duties In rural areas teachers are often required to verify studentsrsquo Aadhaar cards at different centres and manage their bank accountsmdashtasks that ideally should be handled by parents However due to the need for maintaining and updating student records teachers are forced to take on these responsibilities We are glad that these concerns are now being addressed by the the new education ministerrdquoWhat the RTE Act saysAt the heart of this issue lies Sections 25 and 27 of the Right to Education RTE Act which prohibit assigning teachers nonacademic tasks except for specific duties which include decennial population census disaster relief and elections to parliament state legislatures and local bodiesStateappointed committeeIn January 2024 a committee appointed by the Maharashtra government submitted a detailed report addressing concerns over nonacademic tasks assigned to teachers It recommends that teachers focus only on educationrelated duties and proposes a separate system to oversee school nutrition recordsThis initiative arose from objections to teachers being overburdened with administrative work reports and surveys Teacher unions strongly opposed these duties arguing they hinder academic work They even boycotted the illiteracy survey under the Nav Bharat Saksharta Abhiyan affecting its implementationIn response a committee led by the principal secretary of the education department was formed The report recently presented in the legislative session outlines key recommendations to address these concerns Exclusivity to the Education Department Except for assignments related to elections and the national census teachers should not be encumbered with tasks from other government departments The primary focus should be on educationally necessary work Separate system for school nutrition records The committee advocates for the establishment of a dedicated system to manage school nutrition records This recommendation aims to streamline administrative processes and ensure the efficient handling of vital dataNonacademic tasks imposed on teachersOnline Tasks MidDay Meal MDM Daily data entry and payment updates Student portal Admission promotions document uploads and details like marks parent information bank details School and staff portal management School achievement Updating 46 core standards in 7 domains submitting evidence and hard copies to authorities Swachh Vidyalaya Award Uploading 10 proof photos filling forms and regular updatesMahadbt Uploading Aadhaar bank passbooks for student scholarshipsOffline Tasks Census outofschool survey Aadhaar updates Election duties as Booth Level Officermdashvoter registration awareness School deworming campaign Swachhta Mission toilet awareness Participation in the economic survey