Gurgaon: The Haryana government has extended summer holidays in all schools till June 15, but its decision to recall teaching staff to schools, at 50% attendance, for three hours daily from June 1 has drawn the ire of teachers, who have now demanded that they be declared frontline workers and vaccinated on priority.
On Friday, state education minister Kanwar Pal said that a roster should be prepared by schools to ensure 50% attendance of both teaching and non-academic staff on the premises from 9am to 12pm.
The decision has been conveyed by the directorate of school education to all district education officers.
However, the announcement has left the teachers worried as a majority of them have yet not got their vaccines.
Dushyant Thakran of Haryana Prathmik Shikshak Sangh, said, “The government can’t keep passing such sweeping orders without assessing the ground situation.
We strongly oppose any move that mandates us to attend schools.
Our demand is simple — declare us frontline workers and vaccinate us on priority.
” Teachers said that even though they have been working at the village level with Asha workers and anganwadis for various surveys and administrative work, the government has not yet recognised them as frontline workers.
Besides, they are tasked with doorstep delivery of mid-day meals.
In Gurgaon, there are over 3,400 government school teachers and their unions claim that only 15% to 20% have been able to get vaccinated, and that too on their own.
“Leave aside PPE kits, we aren’t even on the priority list for vaccination.
While we are tasked with various Covid-related duties like household screening in rural areas, we’re not yet seen as frontline workers.
There’s no provision for inoculating us,” said Tarun Suhag, state president of Rajkiya Prathmik Shikshak Sangh.
Private schools, too, lent their weight to demands for declaring teachers as frontline workers.
“We are not calling teachers to schools.
And once the summer vacations are over, we will resume online classes only,” said Arti Chopra, principal of Amity International School in Sector 46.
“Our administrative work is also being worked out online.
Calling teachers to school can only happen when they have been vaccinated.
Under current circumstances, declaring teachers as frontline workers and getting them vaccinated on a priority basis can only help bring normalcy to the education sector,” she added.
The education department, however, said there is no provision to vaccinate teachers on priority.
“We have organised around three to four vaccination camps in places like Kadipur and other areas for our teachers.
But in absence of any provision from the government for vaccinating teachers as frontline workers, it becomes difficult for us to provide resources to these camps,” said a senior education department official.