As the state struggles to contain the deadly second wave of Covid-19, the Manohar Lal Khattar Government in Haryana has decided to rope in more than 7000 teachers for Covid-19 related duties.
The decision came at a time when the spiralling cases of Covid-19 have put an unprecedented load on Haryana's health infrastructure and the state is staring at manpower shortage to tackle the crisis.
The Science (Physics, Chemistry, Biology) faculty from class VI to XII would be deployed for Covid related duties including assisting the doctors and para-medical staff in testing, screening and treatment of Covid patients, data collection, disseminating awareness on Covid appropriate behaviour and home isolation care of Covid patients.
The teachers to be assigned Covid related works are currently undergoing training sessions through online mode in all 22 districts of the state.
“These training sessions which began on May 7 would continue till May 12 and include technical sessions on management and treatment of Covid patients including oxygen and ventilation therapy and awareness sessions on Covid appropriate behaviour, home isolation care, hand washing techniques and proper use of masks etc,” according to a letter issued to all civil surgeons by Director Health Services (Training), Haryana.
The government's decision to deploy teachers for Covid related duties has however not gone down well with the teachers' associations in Haryana. They have criticized the decision in the wake of reports that more than 700 government schools employees on panchayat poll duty lost their lives due to Covid in Uttar Pradesh.
Haryana, which is among the worst affected states in the country, has been witnessing 12000-15000 daily Covid cases and over 150 deaths since the past several days. The state has imposed a lockdown till May 17 to contain the spread of the virus.
Satpal Sindhu, state president, Haryana School Lecturers' Association while talking to The Pioneer said that there are more than 7000 PGT/TGT (Science teachers) in the list compiled by the concerned Department who would be assigned the Covid related works.
In view of risk involved in Covid duty, we have demanded that all teachers should be given Covid vaccination before joining such duties. If a teacher dies due to Corona during such duties, their families should be given compensation, he said.
Yogender Chahar, general secretary, Lecturers' Welfare Association, Haryana, said that teachers with comorbid conditions should be exempted from Covid related duties. It is a matter of life and death... And, one hour virtual training is not enough to learn how to deal with Covid patients or perform other duties amid the pandemic, he added.
Notably, this is not the first time when the teachers in the state have been engaged in non-teaching activities. In the past, the teaching staff had been assigned the work to conduct survey for making Parivar Pehchan Patra and perform various duties during celebrations like Swachhta Hi Sewa, Gram Samridhi evam Swachhata Pakhwada, Saraswati Mahotsav, International Gita Mahotsav, Kapal Mochan Mela among others.
Infact, the State Government had faced severe criticism from various quarters for deputing school teachers to carry out priest duty and count donated cash offerings at the Kapal Mochan Mela in Yamunanagar district and for deputing faculty of colleges at nakas in Mahendragarh district.
