Teacher associations have urged authorities to postpone the second trimester examinations as a large number of educators are currently deployed on Booth Level Officer (BLO) duty for the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
Around 80% of teachers in urban schools are engaged in voter list revision work. At the same time, second trimester exams for Classes 3 to 8 are scheduled to start on February 2. Teachers assigned as BLOs have been asked to complete the revision process by February 13, resulting in a clash of responsibilities.
As per official guidelines, 40-mark exams in each subject are to be conducted between February 2 and February 14, with 30% of the questions in multiple-choice format, in line with national assessment norms. While schools have been instructed to conduct the exams as planned, teacher unions said the Election Commission’s voter list revision drive will continue until February 13 and involves extensive verification and correction of rejected forms. They added that managing examination duties alongside BLO responsibilities has put teachers in a difficult position.