Teachers in Surat’s Nagar Primary Education Committee schools have been instructed to take part in a Tiranga Yatra under the Har Ghar Tiranga campaign, raising concerns over the increasing involvement of teachers in non-academic activities.
According to a circular issued by the committee, all teachers and knowledge assistants, along with two assistant teachers from each school, have been directed to report to the nodal officer at Y Junction on Dumas Road at 5 pm today.
The Tiranga Yatra is scheduled to begin at 6 pm.The mandatory attendance has drawn criticism from teachers, parents and others, particularly as the city is witnessing rainy weather. Teachers have been asked to report an hour before the event and record their attendance with the nodal officer.
Teachers in municipal schools are already assigned several duties outside teaching, including Booth Level Officer (BLO) work, census-related duties, surveys and online administrative tasks. Many teachers have expressed concern that frequent government assignments are reducing the time they can spend in classrooms.T
eachers have said there is no objection to participating in a patriotic event like the Tiranga Yatra. However, they questioned the need to make attendance compulsory when their primary responsibility is educating students.
The latest circular has once again sparked a debate over the growing “circular raj” in schools. Teachers argue that if the government wants to improve the quality of education, they should be given enough time to focus on classroom teaching instead of being repeatedly assigned non-academic duties.
The issue has raised a broader question: Should teachers’ time be focused on educating children or increasing attendance at government programmes?
While the Tiranga Yatra aims to promote national spirit, teachers and parents are questioning whether such mandatory programmes could affect the basic academic responsibilities of schools.