India, June 17 -- While schools across Maharashtra reopened on June 16, welcoming students with ceremonies and events, all 18 teachers of Sarvodaya Vidya Mandir, a secondary school in Malad West, were absent from classrooms on the first day of the new academic year. Instead, they were assigned to serve as Booth Level Officers (BLO) for the upcoming local body elections.

The unexpected order of the election duty is posing a challenge for the school to begin academic activities. "Many of us had previously worked in the election office for over 11 years and were eventually relieved from that responsibility. But this time, all 18 teachers and 10 non-teaching staff have received new orders from the election office," said a teacher from the sc...