Ludhiana, June 23 -- Government school teachers across the state have strongly opposed what they call political interference by the ruling party in the selection of school management committee (SMC) members. Traditionally, these committees included school staff, parents, a panchayat representative, and a respected local figure such as a retired teacher or social worker, selected through a democratic process.

However, this structure has recently been disrupted. The education department has issued schools a list of pre-selected individuals, allegedly workers of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), who are to be mandatorily inducted into the SMCs, bypassing the usual election procedure.

Sukhwinder Singh, state president of the Government Teachers' U...