Mumbai, Nov 14 (PTI) The Maharashtra government on Thursday instructed the state education commissioner to empower principals to declare school holidays on November 17, 18 and 19 as many teachers will be on poll duty, an official said.The move comes on the back of various teacher unions approaching the state school education department seeking a viable solution.
Polling will be held mid-week on November 20, apparently in a bid to boost voter turnout, while results will be declared on November 23.
"As routine practice, certain schools, those run by the government, local authorities, or state-aided institutions, will be transformed into polling stations for the day. Election Commission officials prefer to allocate polling booths to teachers who reside outside the area to ensure impartiality," the official said.
However, former principal Mahendra Ganpule said, "A blanket holiday for all schools in the state was unnecessary. Schools that will be closed will inform their parents accordingly."