Kerala Child Rights Commission Directs Census Duty Deployment Without Affecting Students' Education

Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala State Commission for Protection of Child Rights has directed that teachers be assigned census duties in a manner that does not affect students' education.

The Commission ordered the State Census Commissioner to issue directions to district-level Principal Census Officers to ensure that the deployment of teachers for census work does not disrupt academic activities.

The Commission also recommended the formation of a high-level committee to review the census duties assigned to teachers, including those in higher secondary schools, and to examine the deployment of teachers for future census operations. The committee should also explore the possibility of appointing employees from other government departments, in addition to teachers, as well as educated job seekers registered with the Employment Exchange for census-related work.

It further recommended that the State Census Commissioner issue comprehensive guidelines after considering shortcomings, complaints and suggestions related to census duty. The recommendations were made by Commission Chairperson K. V. Manoj Kumar and member P. Shajesh Bhaskar.

The order was issued following complaints submitted to the Child Rights Commission alleging that assigning teachers to census duty was significantly disrupting academic activities in schools and violating children's fundamental right to education.