Daijiworld Media Network - Mangalore (SP)

Mangalore, Jul 30: State chief electoral officer (CEO) M N Vidyashankar has clarified, that a recent circular issued by the state education department granting exemption to the teachers from discharging election related duties as unilateral and contradictory to the directives of the election commission.

The education department had, through a circular issued on July 21, 2008 said that teachers should not be deputed for election related work. The CEO through a letter addresed to the secretary of the education department, described the department's action in issuing the said circular as unilateral. Through this letter, the CEO had said, that the above circular was the result of a misinterpretation of the judgement delivered by the Supreme Court on December 6, 2007 and letter of the election commission dated January 28, 2008.

He said, that the election commission in the above letter, gave clear guidelines on how the services of teachers could be utilized after school hours and during holidays. The CEO had written to the government after the deputy commissioners of DK and Davangere districts drew his atttention to the said circular and expressd apprehension that it may hinder election related duties like preparation of electoral rolls.