Amid rising concerns over the overwhelming workload on Booth Level Officers (BLOs) during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision exercise in Kerala, Electoral Registration Officers have sought the help of volunteers. Officials have requested student volunteers from the NSS, NCC, Scouts, Guides, and Souhrida Clubs to remain available until November 30. Several schools have already received official letters seeking assistance for field verification, data collection, and related tasks.
The move has triggered a sharp response from the state government. Kerala’s General Education and Labour Minister V Sivankutty on Tuesday said that assigning students to election-related duties during the academic year was unacceptable and risked derailing crucial learning time.
He cautioned that removing students from classrooms for more than a week would disrupt instruction at a time when schools are operating at full strength and major examinations are nearing. Citing the Right to Education Act, the Minister stressed that academic hours must remain protected and that non-academic assignments should never compromise a child’s right to study.
While acknowledging the importance of NSS and NCC activities in skill building and social service, he said involving students in office or field work unrelated to their curriculum violated educational norms.
"Using children for official responsibilities unrelated to education constitutes a violation of their right to learning. Strict instructions have been issued to officials of the Education Department to ensure that no action disrupts classroom learning or prevents students from preparing for upcoming examinations," V Sivankutty said.
The Minister added that the state has already deployed sufficient personnel from within the education sector for election-related duties. According to official data, 5,623 Education Department staff are currently serving as Booth Level Officers, including 2,938 teachers, 2,104 non-teaching staff, and 581 other employees.
Meanwhile, Chief Electoral Officer Ratan U Kelkar told the media that participation from student groups, if any, would be purely voluntary and that no one would be compelled to join the SIR process.