Pune: Teachers’ unions across Maharashtra have called for a statewide ‘school shutdown’ on Thursday to demand that primary teachers be relieved of non-academic duties, such as booth-level officer (BLO) work. They also sought changes to the ongoing promotion process.The unions have appealed to teachers to go on mass leave and participate in the agitation, alleging that the state govt has failed to address long-pending issues affecting the teaching community. The protest may affect functioning in govt and aided schools across the state if a large number of teachers participate in the mass leave call.Maharashtra State Primary Teachers’ Association distanced itself from the shutdown, saying it would not participate in the protest. In a statement, the association said it believed in pursuing teachers’ issues through dialogue and legal intervention rather than immediate agitation.The association claimed to have already taken up the issue of teachers’ deployment for BLOs and Special Intensive Revision (SIR) duties by deciding to move the high court at its own expense, recalling that it had earlier secured relief for teachers from BLO duties through judicial intervention.In a joint statement, Maharashtra State Primary Central Teachers’ Association general secretary Rajesh Surve and Teachers’ Federation (Mumbai and Konkan division) president Anil Bornare said teachers should be assigned only academic responsibilities so that the quality of education is not compromised.This association said it was pursuing discussions with the state govt on conducting a special TET examination based on the school curriculum to address concerns arising from the eligibility criteria for promotions.While asserting that it was prepared to launch a statewide agitation if talks failed, the association maintained that staying away from Thursday’s protest was a strategic decision to protect teachers’ interests rather than a sign of weakness. It clarified that it was not opposed to other unions holding demonstrations but urged against creating confusion among teachers.The protest has been jointly organised by several teacher bodies, including the Maharashtra State Central Teachers’ Association, Teachers’ Coordination Committee, Teachers’ Federation (Mumbai and Konkan Division), Maharashtra State Primary Teachers’ Committee, Private School Teachers’ Association, Secondary Teachers’ Association, Headmasters’ Association, Maharashtra TET CTET Qualified Teachers’ Action Committee and other organisations.Teachers’ unions raised objections to the promotion guidelines issued by the directorate of education on May 14, 2026. Under the new norms, teachers seeking promotion from the teaching cadre must qualify TET or CTET examination as of Sept 1, 2025.Their functionaries claimed that the eligibility condition unfairly excludes many senior educators from promotion despite years of service. They want the ongoing promotion process for the posts of extension officer (education), centre head and headmaster be kept in abeyance until the issue is resolved.Growing dissatisfaction among teachers is the result of the govt’s failure to address overdue demands of the education sector, Vijay Kombe, president of Maharashtra State Primary Teachers’ Committee, said.
