WB: Rally of principals demanding exemption from BLO duty

This rally was organized for many demands including exemption from the duty of Booth Level Officer (BLO). The rally started from Karunamayee Central Bus Stand and reached Vikas Bhavan.

Kolkata: Amidst the ongoing political turmoil in West Bengal, on Tuesday, the principals of hundreds of secondary schools of the state took out a rally to the Education Department Headquarters 'Vikash Bhavan' in Kolkata. This rally was organized for many demands including exemption from the duty of Booth Level Officer (BLO). The rally started from Karunamayee Central Bus Stand and reached Vikas Bhavan. In the matter, Chandan Maiti, General Secretary of Advanced Society for Headmasters and Headmistresses (ASFHM), said that hundreds of principals from 24 districts of the state participated in this demonstration.

What is the demand of teachers, know?

Now if we talk about the demand of these teachers, Chandan Maiti said that our main demand is that they should be exempted from BLO duty. He said that BLO duty is related to elections, which is neither related to studies nor school administration. This increases additional pressure on teachers and affects school operations. After this, as the second demand, the teachers demanded Dearness Allowance (DA) as per the central norms.

As the third demand, they demanded inclusion of teachers in West Bengal Health Scheme (WBHS) and ensuring security in schools. Their fourth demand is that the vacant headmaster posts in schools should be filled in a quick and transparent manner. Along with this, the last demand of the teachers is that funds should be released and educational persons should be appointed in the school management committee.

Talks held with officials of the Education Department

After the demonstration, an official of the Education Department said that Principal Secretary Binod Kumar, Secretary of the Board of Secondary Education, and Chairman of the Madrasa Board held positive discussions with the delegation. According to Chandan Maiti, the officials have agreed to most of the demands. At the same time, a senior police officer said that the rally was conducted peacefully and no untoward incident took place.

Now understand what is the work of BLO

It is worth noting that the work of BLO is related to elections, which includes updating the voter list, going door-to-door to collect information, and following other instructions of the Election Commission. Teachers say that this work is different from their basic duties and they should be freed from it.