50k teachers to join lockdown duty

In a bid to enhance public monitoring system across Tamil Nadu and prevent the further spread of COVID-19 cases in the State, the Tamil Nadu government has decided to deploy more than 50,000 teachers working in State-run schools to assist police personnel in carrying out various field works including creating awareness among the people to be safeguard themselves from the coronavirus attack.

The government move to involve more than 15,000 teachers in each district came against the backdrop of request from the Health Department to make the total shutdown successful.

A senior official from the School Education Department told DT Next that the list of the teachers to be deployed for each district have already been sent to both Health and Home Departments.

“Accordingly, the teachers, who will be on the field duty, will be reporting to the office of the Superintendent of Police in their respective district,” he said adding, “The police authority concerned will assign the locality for the teachers to carry out monitoring duty.” Stating that the shops that sell essential commodities across the State will be opened from 6 AM to 1 PM during the lockdown period, the official said, “The teachers will also discharge their work in assigned locality during the same period.” Pointing out that the teachers have already started working with the police officials in few northern districts including Kancheepuram, Thiruvallur and Chengalpattu, he said, “All the other districts will also be covered very soon.” According to the official, the monitoring work for the teachers includes preventing people from gathering at one place, creating awareness about the importance of social distancing and informing the people about the fine involved for not wearing face masks.

“Similarly, they should also ensure whether proper sanitisation works is being carried out on regular basis in their allocated areas,” he said adding, “The teachers will also advice the motorists not to travel with pillion riders as per the current rule besides collecting the details of the persons, who come from other states”.

Though welcoming the government move to assign field duty to the teachers, Tamil Nadu Teachers Association President P K Ilamaran said that the Health Department should provide all safety gears including face masks, gloves, hand sanitisers and proper drinking water. “It is very essential to provide all the necessary medical kits to the teachers so that they could work safely and confidently,” he added.