New Delhi: The Gujarat government has been criticised for ordering 48 schoolteachers in Rajkot district to serve food instead of teaching students.

After the controversial move resulted in criticism including the opposition Congress training its guns on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in the state, the order was  scrapped, reported New Indian Express.

The order was issued by the deputy Collector of Jasdan with 48 schoolteachers from Jasdan taluka being ordered to serve food to VVIPs during the upcoming Shravan month festival at the Ghela Somnath temple in Rajkot district.

According to the circular directed at primary teachers from over 10 local schools, the teachers had to manage food arrangements during the religious fair.

Gujarat is already grappling with an alarming shortage of 12,500 teachers and 700 principals across the state.

Congress spokesperson Manish Doshi slammed the the government, calling it a “repeated insult to educators.”

He added that teachers in Gujarat have been roped into more than 30 non-teaching roles over the years, including for crowd mobilisation for political events to pest control.

Following the uproar over the order, Jasdan's provincial officer withdrew the circular and stated that teachers may still choose to volunteer at the temple fair but not under compulsion.

Gujarat education minister Kuber Dindor admitted the error and clarified that the Education Department had instructed local authorities to scrap the directive. He said that teachers should only be assigned essential national duties like elections or voter list revisions and not temple hospitality.

The Wire is now on WhatsApp. Follow our channel for sharp analysis and opinions on the latest developments.