The District Disaster Management Authority on Tuesday withdrew its order of deploying teachers from Delhi government schools at the Delhi airport to ensure COVID-19 procedures are being followed.
Officials had on Monday announced that over 80 school teachers would be deployed at the Indira Gandhi International Airport during the upcoming winter vacation. They were to be on duty from December 31 to January 15, according to the earlier order.
Walking back its announcement from yesterday, the authority will now deploy civil defense staff if needed, ANI reports.
The earlier order was issued by the District Magistrate (West) on behalf of the District Disaster Management Authority.
Meanwhile, a section of teachers on Tuesday wondered, burdened as they are with academic work, why they were chosen over civil defence volunteers for COVID duty at IGI Airport in the first place.
District Secretary (West-A) of the Government School Teachers Association Sant Ram said that teachers should not be involved in duties other than academics and that government staff apart from teachers should have also been deployed at the airport.
"Why involve the teachers in duties other than academics? We understand that there might have been requirements by the authorities but in that case, why were government staff apart from teachers deployed for airport duty?" Ram asked.
Neeru Vijh of Government Girls Senior Secondary School in Vasundhara Enclave welcomed the cancelling of the order and said people from civil defence should have also been included for the airport duty.
"I welcome the move that the order has been withdrawn by the DDMA. However, more people from the civil defence should have been included in such duties. Teachers should be given some respite from their regular duties, many of them will be taking remedial classes during the winter vacations too," she said.
"Even teachers need to look after their social boundaries," she added.
Government schools will remain closed in Delhi from January 1 to January 15 for winter vacation.
Deepak Chauhan, one of the teachers whose name was listed for duty at the airport, concurred with his colleagues and said teachers should only be involved in duties related to academics. "I have remedial classes listed for January 2 to January 15 as well and so was not sure why I was deployed for airport duty. I think teachers should only be involved in duties related to academics," Chauhan said
Meanwhile, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Tuesday visited Safdarjung Hospital in Delhi to review their COVID preparedness. States and union territories across the nation are conducting mock drills on Tuesday as cases of COVID-19 rise again. These exercises are aimed at testing the operational readiness of India's healthcare system.
With PTI inputs
First Published: Dec 27, 2022 12:21 PM IST
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