Students Should Not Be Pulled From Classes For Election Work: Minister Sivankutty

Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala General Education Minister V Sivankutty said that using school students as volunteers for the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls is unacceptable and violates their fundamental right to education. He stressed that students are in the middle of their academic year and examinations are approaching, and assigning them to such duties would directly affect their studies.

The minister responded to media queries regarding statements attributed to the Kerala Chief Electoral Officer suggesting that NSS and NCC students could be used for activities related to SIR. Sivankutty strongly opposed this and made it clear that students should not be given responsibilities that keep them away from classrooms for more than 10 days for tasks such as data collection and digitisation of voter lists.

He pointed out that the Education Department already has clear instructions that students must not be taken out of school during academic hours or engaged in any other programmes during school time. While organisations like NSS, NCC, and Student Police Cadet are encouraged to take part in social service activities, Sivankutty said it is not appropriate to use children for official office or field work by disrupting classroom learning.

Calling this practice a violation of children’s educational rights, the minister explained that the Education Department has already contributed 5,623 teaching and non-teaching personnel to support SIR-related work as Booth Level Officers. To prevent disruption to academics, the department also had to bring in an equal number of temporary staff on a daily wage basis.

Sivankutty asked who would take responsibility if students face problems or difficulties after missing 10 days of classes for election duties, especially as such work can involve risks. He said those who assign these tasks to children must be held accountable for any negative impact on their well-being or education.