Assam schools face disrupted classes and syllabus delays as teachers are deployed for Census 2026 ahead of exams
Imagine walking into a classroom where dozens of students are waiting for their lessons, but only one teacher is available to handle multiple classes and subjects. The others are away, not on leave, but on government duty, counting households as part of the Census.
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For some government schools in Assam, this is already a reality. As the first phase of Census 2026 is being conducted from August 2 to August 16, teachers across the state have been assigned duties as enumerators or supervisors. But with another phase of the Census still remaining, schools are now faced with a larger question: when will teachers get enough time to return to their classrooms, complete the pending syllabus and prepare students for the upcoming half-yearly examinations?
The concern is particularly serious for government schools that already function with limited teaching staff. In some institutions, a large portion of the teaching workforce has been assigned Census duty, leaving schools struggling to manage regular classes. For these schools, the issue is not simply about teachers being away for a few days. It is about the cumulative academic time that may be lost when teachers are repeatedly pulled away from classrooms for government responsibilities.
The Census is a major national exercise and requires extensive manpower. Teachers assigned to the exercise have been given responsibilities as enumerators and supervisors.
Enumerators are required to conduct house-to-house surveys, collect demographic and housing information and accurately record responses using digital or paper formats. Supervisors oversee designated groups of enumerators, check the collected data for quality and completeness and resolve discrepancies in the field.
Teachers are also required to attend mandatory training programmes organised by the district administration before beginning their field assignments.
As per the notification, each teacher has been assigned approximately 200 households.
While these duties are important for the Census, schools are now concerned about what the deployment means for their academic calendar. The first phase may conclude on August 16, but the Census exercise is not over yet. A second phase is still pending, which means teachers could once again be required to step away from regular classroom duties.
This has raised concerns over whether schools will get enough uninterrupted teaching time to complete the syllabus before the half-yearly examinations.
The academic calendar, after all, will continue regardless of the Census duties. Once teachers return from the first phase, they will have to resume regular lessons and make up for any academic time lost. At the same time, they will have to prepare students for examinations. If the second phase also requires the deployment of teachers during the academic session, schools could face another disruption.
For schools with adequate teaching staff, it may be possible to redistribute classes or adjust timetables. But for government schools with only a handful of teachers, such adjustments are considerably more difficult.
Speaking to GPlus, a government school principal said some teachers at the institution had submitted medical documents citing health concerns. However, the school is still uncertain whether their requests for exemption from Census duty will be accepted.
The shortage becomes more evident in schools where the teaching strength is already low.
In one government school, only three teachers are available to handle multiple classes and subjects. Of these three, two have been assigned Census duty, leaving only one teacher to manage the school’s academic responsibilities.
Speaking to GPlus, the principal expressed concern about how the school would complete the syllabus under such circumstances.
“We only have three teachers for so many classes and all subjects, and now two teachers are sent for the Census duty. Now how will we complete the syllabus? We only have a few months for the half-yearly exam,” the principal said.
The concern goes beyond the classes that may be missed during the current Census phase. Teachers will have to return and cover the portions of the syllabus that remain incomplete, while also dealing with regular academic responsibilities.
And then there is the second phase.
If teachers are again assigned Census-related duties, schools may have to deal with another interruption at a time when they should ideally be focusing on syllabus completion and examination preparation.
For students, particularly those studying in government schools, this could translate into fewer regular classes, compressed lessons and reduced revision time before examinations.
Another government school is facing a similar situation. The school has five teachers, but four teachers along with the headmaster have been assigned Census duty.
With almost the entire teaching staff deployed, the institution has been left with limited manpower to manage regular academic activities. In schools with such small teaching strengths, even a short disruption can have a significant impact on the classroom routine.
The situation has also raised concerns among teachers themselves.
Speaking to GPlus, one teacher assigned Census duty said that several teachers were facing difficulties but many were hesitant to speak openly about them.
“Every one of us is facing the problem but no one speaks up. It seems like I am the only one having the problem and no one is having any issue. Our teachers’ organisation is also working on it,” the teacher said.
The issue has also drawn the attention of the All Assam Students’ Union (AASU). AASU president Utpal Sarma and general secretary Samiran Phukonhave urged the Assam Government and Census authorities to adopt a special mechanism to ensure that regular classes in educational institutions are not disrupted while teachers are engaged in Census-related duties.
The demand comes amid concerns that the academic needs of students could be affected if teachers continue to be assigned government duties during the school year.
The issue is also being raised in relation to the age and circumstances of some teachers.
While there is no universal maximum age for undertaking Census work, one teacher who is due to retire in just a month has also been assigned the duty.
Speaking to GPlus, the teacher said, “I am getting retired in a month, yet I have been assigned to Census duty.”
The concern, however, is not about whether teachers should participate in the Census. The Census is an important national exercise, and accurate enumeration is necessary for planning and governance.
The larger concern is whether sufficient arrangements have been made to ensure that students do not lose valuable classroom time while teachers are deployed for Census-related work.
This becomes particularly important in government schools where there are already shortages of teachers. A school with a large teaching workforce may be able to redistribute responsibilities when a few teachers are assigned government duty. But in schools with three or five teachers, the absence of even one or two teachers can significantly affect the academic routine.
The situation also raises questions about what happens after the first phase.
The half-yearly examinations will not necessarily wait for the completion of the Census exercise. Students will still be expected to appear for examinations based on the prescribed syllabus, regardless of whether their teachers have had uninterrupted classroom time to complete it.
This raises another concern: will teachers eventually have to rush through the syllabus to compensate for the lost days? And if they do, will students get sufficient time to understand lessons, clear doubts and revise before examinations?
If teachers are required for an essential national exercise, can temporary teachers or substitute arrangements be made to ensure that classroom teaching continues? Can the second phase be planned in a manner that causes minimal disruption to schools?
And can the administration ensure that students are not the ones paying the academic price for an exercise in which they have no control?
For teachers, the situation is a balancing act between their responsibilities as government employees and their responsibility towards their students. For the administration, it is a challenge of balancing two essential priorities—conducting the Census and ensuring uninterrupted education.
But for students, the issue is much simpler: they need their teachers in the classroom.
The first phase of the Census will conclude on August 16, but the academic concerns may not end there. With the second phase still remaining, schools may have to prepare for another period of teacher deployment even as the half-yearly examinations draw closer.
As the government counts households across Assam, government schools are also counting the days left to complete their syllabus.
The real question will be what happens when both phases of the Census are over. Will schools have enough time to cover the academic gap, complete the syllabus, conduct revision and prepare students for their half-yearly examinations?
