The Jaiñtia National Council (JNC) Khliehriat Circle has today filed a strong formal objection letter with the Deputy Commissioner & Principal Census Officer, East Jaiñtia Hills District, demanding the “immediate halt to the deployment of government school teachers” for Census 2027 House Listing Operations — a practice the organization has condemned as a “direct constitutional violation” against the tribal children of the district. The Council led by Shri. Diamon Bareh Working President of the Khliehriat Circle and Shri. Symboh Baiar Sumer General Secretary Khliehriat Circle along with members, while addressing the issue shri Diamon Bareh stated that: The Violation: Law is Being Ignored- Section 27 of the “Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009”, while permitting a limited exception for census duty, “does not authorize the State to strip classrooms of teachers during active school hours”, leaving tribal children whose only access to education is through government and private schools, without instruction. The Hon’ble Allahabad High Court in “Chandani Devi & Ors. vs. State of U.P.” (W.P. No. 26228/2021) has categorically affirmed this position. Furthermore, “Section 25 of the RTE Act mandates” that the Pupil-Teacher Ratio (PTR) must be maintained at all times, a mandate being openly defied across schools in East Jaiñtia Hills.
“Article 21-A of the Constitution of India guarantees every child the Fundamental Right to Education.” The administration cannot, in one breath, claim to uphold this right and, in the very next act, pull teachers out of classrooms for census paperwork. The Money Question: No Excuse Exists the Union Government has sanctioned “₹11,718.24 crore” for Census 2027 — funds explicitly meant to cover enumeration workforce costs. JNC demands a public accounting: “How much of this fund was used to hire civilian enumerators in East Jaiñtia Hills — and how much was saved by coercively deploying teachers? There is no financial justification. This is administrative laziness paid for by tribal children.
Double Failure: Rural Communities Left Out JNC further condemns the administration’s complete “failure to conduct any meaningful awareness program” for the Self Enumeration facility (May 1–15, 2026). In a district where the majority of rural households have no internet access and where the “local language is absent from the Census portal”, the so-called “awareness campaign” consisted of nothing more than social media posts and two written public notices — effectively excluding thousands of tribal families from being accurately counted in their own census. No block-level help desks. No village outreach. No community radio. No Dorbar Shnong engagement. “None.”