"Teachers Wandering in Offices and Streets, Blackboards Left Blank: The 'Borrowed Manpower' Policy of the Electoral System Deals a Double Blow to the Education of Underprivileged Children"

"Teachers Wandering in Offices and Streets, Blackboards Left Blank: The 'Borrowed Manpower' Policy of the Electoral System Deals a Double Blow to the Education of Underprivileged Children"

​"Children of the Rich are Safe in Private Schools, While the Teachers of the Poor are Busy with Election Duties — When Will the Administration Wake Up to This Institutional Disparity?"

​"A Festival of Democracy or the Cost of Children's Future? Social Activist Rajbir Singh Bhartiya Raises Critical Questions on an Electoral System Dependent on Borrowed Staff"

​"The World’s Largest Democracy Needs Its Own Permanent Electoral System — So That Elections Are Strengthened and the Future of Our Children Remains Secure"

— Rajbir Singh Bhartiya, Social Activist & Retired Superintendent, Office of the Advocate General (AG Office), Haryana, Punjab & Haryana High Court, Chandigarh.

​Chandigarh 22 June ( Ranjeet Singh Dhaliwal ) : ​India is the largest democratic republic in the world. In a nation with a population of nearly 150 crores and hundreds of millions of voters, elections for the Lok Sabha, Vidhan Sabha, Panchayati Raj institutions, and municipal corporations are the most vital processes of democracy. A citizen chooses the leadership of the country and the state through their vote. Therefore, it is absolutely essential for the election process to be robust, impartial, and modern. However, even after nearly 80 years of independence, a serious question stands before the nation: Why does the electoral system of the world’s largest democracy still heavily depend on the temporary deployment of employees and officers from other government departments?

​An Electoral Structure Built on Borrowed Manpower — Isn't It Time for a Change? ​The Election Commission of India is a constitutional and highly critical institution responsible for conducting the democratic process across the entire nation. However, to conduct elections on the ground, teachers, government employees, administrative officers, and security forces are repeatedly pulled away from their primary duties and deployed on election duty. ​While this arrangement successfully completes the election process, it casts a direct and adverse impact on education, administration, and various sectors of public service.

​Teachers Missing from Classrooms, Wandering in Streets — The Biggest Loss is the Children’s ​Teachers are the builders of society's future. Their primary responsibility is to educate children. However, during election duties, teachers from numerous government schools are seen going door-to-door for voter list verification, electoral surveys, and other responsibilities instead of teaching in classrooms. ​Standing in the scorching heat and challenging conditions with files in hand, these very teachers also bear the responsibility for the future of the nation's young children.

​As a result: ​Blackboards are left blank.

​Studies in classrooms are severely disrupted.

​The academic loss for children continues to mount.

​The Silent Pain of Poor and Middle-Class Families

​The worst impact of this system falls on families who depend entirely on government schools for their children's education.

​Financially affluent families send their children to private schools, where education remains relatively uninterrupted. However, children from poor and middle-class families rely completely on the quality and regularity of education provided in government schools. ​When government school teachers remain occupied with election duties for extended periods, the direct impact falls on those children who have limited alternatives for education. Many parents are deeply distressed by this situation but are unable to raise their voices effectively due to financial and social constraints.

​Is the Responsibility of the Teachers or the System?

​The irony is that when education is disrupted and children's academic results turn out poor, questions are often raised against the teachers. ​In reality, the actual need is to build a system where elections are conducted with absolute impartiality without disrupting the education system. Several teachers and Anganwadi workers have also expressed their concerns that being away from their primary duties for election work adversely affects both the children and society.

​Troubles Do Not End Even After Election Duty

​Election-related responsibilities are not limited just to polling day. Often, disputes or legal matters stemming from the election process drag on for years, forcing employees to make endless rounds of courts. ​In such cases, teachers and other employees remain disconnected from their parent departments for long durations, which severely affects public utility services. 

​Administrative Work Also Takes a Hit ​It is not just teachers who are put on election duty; administrative officers, secretariat staff, superintendents, clerks, and employees from various departments are also deployed.

​Consequently: ​The work of the general public faces delays.

​The pace of work in government offices slows down significantly.

​Pendency in matters of public interest increases.

​Additional pressure builds up on the administrative framework.

​The Big Question — Why Doesn’t the Election Commission Have Its Own Permanent Cadre?

​When massive departments in the country like the Police, Military, Railways, Posts, and Income Tax possess their own permanent infrastructure and trained workforce, why shouldn't there be a dedicated electoral cadre for a constitutional process as vital as elections?

​An independent and permanent electoral system would:

​Reduce the additional burden on other government departments.

​Ensure teachers get adequate time for their core duty of education.

​Prevent administrative work from getting disrupted.

​Make the election process more specialized, robust, transparent, and accountable.

​A Need for Reform, Not Confrontation

​My objective is not to question the Election Commission or the democratic process, but to put forward a necessary suggestion to make democracy even stronger. ​Democracy is not strengthened merely by holding elections; it is strengthened when the future of the country's children, the education system, and the basic amenities of ordinary citizens are also protected. ​The Central Government, Parliament, and relevant institutions must deeply reflect on this issue. For a massive democracy like India, an independent, trained, and permanent Dedicated Electoral Cadre and the necessary electoral infrastructure are the need of the hour.

​This is because the true strength of a democracy lies not just in the ink on a voter's finger, but in the bright future of its upcoming generations.

​For Favor of Publication.

​Rajbir Singh Bhartiya

Social Activist & Retired Superintendent,

Office of the Advocate General (AG Office), Haryana,

Punjab & Haryana High Court, Chandigarh.