Madhya Pradesh Teacher Election Duty Instructions: Permission and RTE Act Section 27

The news

The Directorate of Public Instruction, Madhya Pradesh, has instructed that teachers of the School Education Department cannot be assigned election duty without permission. The directive, sent to all district education officers and principals in November 2026, makes principals and teachers themselves responsible for any unauthorised deployment in non-academic work.

The instructions clarify the position under Section 27 of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009, which permits teachers to be deployed for the decennial population census, disaster relief and elections to local authorities, state legislatures or Parliament. Booth-level officer work, the order says, must be performed only after school hours or on holidays. Madhya Pradesh has approximately 65,000 polling stations across 230 assembly constituencies. According to administrative records, 75 to 80 per cent of booth-level officers — about 50,000 — are government teachers, while anganwadi workers, patwaris and panchayat secretaries fill the remaining posts. Of the state's 2.80 lakh regular teachers, roughly 18 per cent are engaged in voter-list work throughout the year, and during special revision and elections the number exceeds 60,000 when supervisor and assistant duties are included.

What is the RTE Act Section 27 restriction?

Section 27 of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009 prohibits the deployment of teachers for non-educational purposes except for the decennial population census, disaster relief and elections to local authorities, state legislatures or Parliament. The Act came into force on 1 April 2010 after receiving presidential assent on 26 August 2009. The provision was shaped by the 2005 report of the Central Advisory Board of Education committee on free and compulsory education. The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights monitors the implementation of the Act.

What does Section 27 of the RTE Act say?

Section 27 of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009 restricts the deployment of teachers for non-educational purposes. It permits their use only for specified public duties — the decennial population census, disaster relief and elections to local authorities, state legislatures or Parliament. The Madhya Pradesh instructions operationalise this provision by adding a permission requirement for election-related deployment.

How will the new rule affect teacher availability?

The order requires booth-level officer work to be done after school hours or on holidays, which may reduce disruption to classroom teaching. However, with 50,000 teachers already serving as booth-level officers and the total including supervisor and assistant duties rising above 60,000 during elections, district authorities will need to coordinate with other eligible personnel such as anganwadi workers, patwaris and panchayat secretaries to distribute the electoral workload while complying with the permission requirement.