Karnataka School Education and Literacy Minister Madhu Bangarappa on Friday, 25 September 2026, called out the Election Commission of India (ECI) for failing to relieve government and aided school teachers from Special Intensive Revision (SIR) duties, warning that the continued deployment is severely disrupting classroom teaching and threatening students' examination outcomes. Speaking at his home office in Bengaluru, Bangarappa said repeated letters to the ECI had gone unanswered.

What Bangarappa Said

The minister did not mince words. 'Relieve our teachers from the SIR process. The education of children is being severely affected. Despite writing to the Election Commission, there has been no response. The Election Commission is acting without humanity,' he told reporters.

Bangarappa said teachers were already overburdened by electoral roll duties and that the prolonged delay in completing the SIR exercise had cascaded into disrupted academic schedules. He expressed particular concern given that half-yearly examinations are currently under way and preparatory examinations are scheduled in the coming days.

Impact on Students and Schools

Complaints are reportedly pouring in from parents and students across Karnataka. According to the minister, some parents have flagged that teachers are simply unavailable in classrooms, with children being sent home after mid-day meals — a sign of near-complete instructional breakdown on affected days.

Legislative Council member Puttanna has also raised the issue repeatedly, and representatives of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), including Ashutosh Ranka, met Bangarappa to discuss teacher shortages in government schools.

The Bill Bangarappa Plans to Introduce

The minister announced that the state government is formulating a new Bill to permanently shield government and aided school teachers from being deployed for caste census, surveys, and other non-teaching duties. Bangarappa said he has already held preliminary meetings with officials on its framing and intends to place it before the State Cabinet before introducing it in a forthcoming Assembly session.

'Our teachers have been very cooperative and are doing a good job. Effective teaching by teachers is a major reason for good results among students. But a system has developed where teachers are being used for caste census, various surveys and other work. This needs to change,' he said.

The Broader National Dimension

Bangarappa framed the issue as extending well beyond Karnataka, noting that virtually every government employee across the country appears tied up in SIR-related work. He called on the Centre and the ECI to act, describing the practice as 'misuse of teachers.'

He also acknowledged the political backdrop — questions over transparency in the electoral roll revision process have been raised by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and others. 'If votes are illegally lost, what value does democracy have? Does the Constitution given by B.R. Ambedkar have no value? People's faith in the voting system must be maintained,' Bangarappa said.

Shoes and Socks Quality Row

Separately, Bangarappa addressed allegations of poor-quality footwear being distributed to school children. He denied that quality was substandard but conceded sizing issues existed. 'It is false that the quality of shoes and socks is poor. However, I accept that there have been differences in sizes,' he said, adding that district-level committees had been constituted and instructions issued to ensure correctly sized replacements reach affected children. He also noted he had directed officials to address the matter two days before the Lokayukta reportedly took suo motu cognisance of the issue.

With half-yearly exams already under way and the ECI yet to respond, the pressure on Karnataka's school system is set to intensify unless a resolution is reached swiftly.