‘Teachers will only teach’: Punjab teachers announce complete boycott of non-academic works
Punjab teachers have issued a joint memorandum threatening to boycott all non‑academic duties unless such assignments are withdrawn within a week, and they staged a protest outside the Patiala district collector’s office. The demand follows the deployment of hundreds of teachers to verify ration cards during the ongoing mid‑term examinations.
- ✓Punjab teachers have issued a joint memorandum threatening to boycott all non‑academic duties unless such assignments are withdrawn within a week, and they staged a protest outside the Patiala district collector’s office.
- ✓According to the unions, more than 300 teachers from Patiala and over 1,000 from Ludhiana have already been tasked with ration‑card verification.
- ✓The protest was called off after the district administration agreed to meet the teachers at 1:30 pm.
The Samooh Adhyaapak Jathebandiyan, an umbrella body of teachers’ unions in Punjab, submitted memoranda to Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and district deputy commissioners demanding an immediate halt to non‑academic tasks assigned to school teachers. The unions warned that failure to comply within a week would trigger a complete boycott of these duties, a stance underscored by a protest outside the Patiala Deputy Commissioner’s office where teachers chanted slogans against the state government.
According to the unions, more than 300 teachers from Patiala and over 1,000 from Ludhiana have already been tasked with ration‑card verification. On September 14, the Patiala Sub‑Divisional Magistrate ordered an additional 337 teachers to join the effort, drawing staff from specific schools – 62 from Government Senior Secondary School (Civil Lines), 54 from Multipurpose School, 37 each from Model Town School and School of Eminence (Pheelkhana), 23 from PM SHRI School (Tripuri), and 16 each from New Power House Colony School and Old Police Line School, among others. The protest was called off after the district administration agreed to meet the teachers at 1:30 pm.
Teachers highlighted that they are already burdened with tasks such as population census work, Special Intensive Revision (SIR) programmes, drug surveys, and health‑card preparation, all of which coincide with the current examination period. They argue that the additional ration‑card duty undermines the state’s pledge of an “education revolution” and threatens the quality of instruction for students across Punjab’s public schools.
- •Aspirants and citizens are advised to monitor official notices and circulars issued by Punjab & Haryana Regional Bureau (Chandigarh).
- •Verify all prescribed eligibility criteria, cutoff dates, and authenticated document requirements prior to formal submissions.
- •Track connected examination timetables, vacancy advisories, and administrative gazettes on SuchnaSetu.
| Issuing Authority | Punjab & Haryana Regional Bureau (Chandigarh) |
|---|---|
| Topic Category | EDUCATION |
| Jurisdiction | PB State |
| Publication Date | 16 September 2026 |