Jammu and Kashmir govt exempts teachers from poll duties 
The Jammu and Kashmir government has decided to relieve teachers from being a part of election duties to ensure that the education system doesn't suffer. "We want to provide teachers with a congenial atmosphere," said state's Education Minister Syed Altaf Bukhari. The state will go for bypolls next month for the parliament seats in Srinagar and Anantnag.
The Jammu and Kashmir government has decided to say goodbye to the practice of asking government teachers to be part of election duties. The move which has come as a sigh of relief is aimed at ensuring that the education system doesn't suffer and get distracted. While announcing this, Education Minister Altaf Bukhari said, "We want to provide teachers a congenial atmosphere and minimize disruption of academic activities. After brainstorming and thorough deliberations, it has been felt that teachers should be allowed to concentrate on their primary goal of imparting education and for that they should be relieved of all other duties".The decision has been hailed by the teachers' community and the parents in equal measure.Most of the people have been complaining about this in the past. The state of Jammu and Kashmir has taken a lead in this direction. This will infuse a fresh lease of life into Jammu and Kashmir's otherwise derailed education system. "Exempting us from all non-academic assignments including election duties to help them focus on their prime task of teaching is a great step. We all are welcoming it", said a teacher. Next month the state will go for bypolls for the parliament seats in Srinagar and Anantnag.