Punjab School Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains has directed the Punjab Chief Secretary to immediately stop deploying government school teachers for non-teaching and routine administrative duties. Taking exception to reports of teachers being pulled away from classrooms to perform routine administrative tasks such as keeping check on stubble burning in several districts, Bains has written a letter to the Chief Secretary. In the letter, Bains stated, “Teachers are not just ordinary government employees — they are the torchbearers of knowledge and values, entrusted with the sacred responsibility of shaping the future of Punjab. While acknowledging that urgent governmental work may sometimes arise, Bains made it clear that teachers cannot be the default option. In any rare and compelling circumstance where deployment is considered unavoidable, prior written approval must be sought and obtained from the Department of School Education before any such deployment.