BHUBANESWAR: With temperatures soaring past 40°C across Odisha, thousands of school teachers deployed for the ongoing Census-2027 house-listing exercise are struggling to balance classroom responsibilities with fieldwork under punishing heatwave conditions.
In the absence of uniform government guidelines, educators say they are being forced into an exhausting routine - first complete school duties and then head out for census work - often during peak heat hours. Schools are currently operating from 6.30 am to 10.30 am due to summer timings.Teacher associations have now demanded revised schedules to reduce exposure to extreme weather and prevent heat-related health risks.
Death of a 55-year-old junior teacher engaged in census duty in Sonepur district allegedly due to heatstroke on Sunday triggered anxiety among primary and secondary school teachers who have been assigned roles as enumerators and supervisors across the state. “This is forcing teachers to continue working well beyond school hours, increasing their exposure to scorching heat,” said a teacher from Nayapalli in Bhubaneswar.
Teachers from several districts echoed similar concerns, pointing out that the combined burden of academic responsibilities and census duties has become increasingly difficult to manage in extreme weather conditions.
The Odisha Secondary School Teachers’ Association (OSSTA) said only a handful of tehsildars in some districts have issued orders allowing teachers to carry out census work during morning hours but there is no definite guideline yet from the government.
“Our district unit has urged collectors to take immediate action. There must be relaxation in duties, including exemption from regular school work for those engaged in census activities. Alternatively, a phased or rotational system should be introduced to manage both responsibilities effectively,” Mayurbhanj secretary Kishore Kumar Acharya told this paper.
Beyond heat-related risks, teachers also flagged safety concerns during fieldwork. Odisha Level V(a) Teachers’ Union claimed it has received multiple complaints of harassment by antisocial elements during census operations. “Such incidents make teachers feel unsafe while performing their duties. Adequate safety measures and insurance coverage must be ensured,” said state convenor Sunil Kumar Pradhan.
A senior census officer under the BMC said, “In absence of specific instructions from the government, the civic body is not authorised to take a decision in this regard.”