Amidst reports that the school teachers have been appointed as nodal officers to check open defecation, the Punjab Education Department on Tuesday came out with a clarification that no such instruction have been issued.
The department clarified that it has not issued any instructions regarding appointing teachers as nodal officers to check open defecation programme in the State.
Issuing clarification, State Education Minister Daljit Singh Cheema said: “While education department is fully committed to motivate people in the Swachh Bharat campaign, the teachers, whose primary job is teaching, have not been assigned this duty by the department.”
He clarified that there are no instructions or order from the Department of School Education regarding engaging the school teachers for motivating the general people for avoid of open defecation.
Cheema said that however, it has come to notice to the department that some over enthusiastic Sub-Divisional Magistrates and Junior Engineer of the Water Supply and Sanitation Department have issued directives to the teachers in this regard without taking the education department in confidence.
“I have taken up the issue with the concerned Deputy Commissioners and asked them to withdraw these instructions that hinder in the primary duty of teachers that is teaching,” he said.
The Minister said that however, the department of School Education fully supported ‘Swachh Bharat Mission’ of Prime Minister but preventing open defecation, the school teachers have been told to motivate students in the morning assembly.