Census’ foot soldiers: Teachers step out as houselisting begins in Delhi

UNder a glaring apr afternoon insolate, long after classrooms had emptied, hundreds of authorities school day teachers fanned out across the tree-lined avenues and crowded bylanes of central Delhi, identity cards around their necks, phones, notebooks and forms in hand. They knocked on doors – of bungalows guarded by security personnel, and of tin-roofed shanties tucked in narrow lanes – marking the start of what is perhaps the most extensive administrative exercise in the country: the 2026 Census.For many, however, this was not the start of the day, but the second shift of a long one. An HT team spent an afternoon accompanying two enumerators – one assigned to high-security VIP residences, the other to a jhuggi cluster near Keventer’s Lane – capturing the intense human effort that underpins the Census.Also Read: Census 2027 begins: Over 700 officials to conduct door-to-door survey, Delhi areas divided into blocksThe day’s work revealed a portrait of teachers as the first foot-soldiers of this vast exercise, navigating not just data collection, but human hesitation, logistical roadblocks and, in some instances, personal risk. Vijay Singh, who has participated in the Census exercises of 2001 and 2011, described how the process has evolved. “Earlier, we carried bulky registers and spent up to an hour at each house. Now, with digital tools, it is quicker,” he said.But the efficiency, he added, has not reduced the workload. “Our day begins at 7am and ends late in the night – often stretching beyond 12 hours.” “We encounter different kinds of people, some who are aware that such an exercise is happening, some who are aware but are unwilling to share details, and those who happily come up to us and offer us water and willingly share details,” he said.Also Read: Map on the Census portal shows Arunachal town in China, error correctedMoving between households, Singh said reluctance among residents remains a recurring challenge. “People are reluctant in sharing details but what we tell them is that we will key in details that they share with us,” he said.The houselisting phase, which began this month and will continue till September 30, involves collecting detailed information on housing conditions, amenities and household assets through a 33-question schedule. This data forms the backbone of policy planning and welfare targeting. For the first time, the process has been preceded by a 15-day self-enumeration window, allowing residents to submit their data online before the enumerator’s visit – aimed at reducing field burden, though its impact remains uneven. In another part of the NDMC zone, Laxmi Agnihotri, a teacher at a Kendriya Vidyalaya in the President’s Estate, began her rounds in a jhuggi cluster. Her day had started before sunrise, she left her home in Bawana at 6am to report to school.The first day itself brought a glimpse of the challenges ahead. Entering the cluster alone, she encountered a group of men who were initially hesitant and then became overly familiar. “These situations are difficult… From tomorrow, we will try to move in groups,” she said later.Also Read: Digital mapping for Census begins in NDMC, Delhi Cantonment areas; over 700 officials deployed for surveyMany homes in the cluster were locked -- residents out at work, expected to return only in the evening. The pattern repeated across locations: absence during the day, forcing enumerators to revisit households multiple times. Agnihotri noted a contrast. “In these clusters, people are generally more open when they are present. In VIP areas, access itself becomes a problem.” That problem was evident a few kilometres away, where another enumerator arrived at the guarded gates of bungalows in Lutyens’ Delhi.At several residences, staff members questioned the purpose of the visit and hesitated to share details. “We encounter a lot of problems in VVIP areas. At this time, many of the MPs and senior leaders are away for election campaigning in West Bengal, so when we visited their houses, we were asked to come back later. We will now seek appointments and then take their details,” said an enumerator, who asked not to be identified.In one instance, the enumerator attempted to reassure household staff. “If the resident has self-enumerated, you only need to share the SE ID. We will just verify the details,” he explained.Mahesh Kumar Sharma, another enumerator who commutes daily from Gurugram to a Kendriya Vidyalaya in central Delhi, pointed to additional restrictions. “At one of the societies, we have been asked to get an email sent and informed three days before coming for the door-to-door survey or we will not be allowed to go inside,” he said.The first day of the exercise also exposed gaps in pre-listing. Enumerators came across houses that had been marked earlier but were unoccupied, as well as shops and kiosks that had been left out entirely. In some cases, tenants said they were about to vacate, raising the possibility of duplication when enumeration begins in other areas.Tight schedules, minimal payFor teachers like Manorama Yadav, the assignment has stretched an already demanding routine to its limits. A Kendriya Vidyalaya teacher posted in the Rashtrapati Bhawan area, she leaves her home in Rohini at 6am and returns only around 8pm. “I see my three-year-old son in the morning, and then at night… He stays with my mother while I am away. My husband is also a teacher. We are managing somehow.”Her husband, she added, is likely to be deployed for the same exercise in MCD areas next month – doubling the strain on the household. The Census is only the latest in a long list of non-teaching responsibilities assigned to government school teachers. From election duties and voter list revisions as Booth Level Officers (BLOs) to surveys, training sessions and administrative work, teachers often find themselves juggling multiple roles through the year. While some are temporarily relieved of classroom duties, many continue teaching through the day before stepping into fieldwork.“Many of our colleagues are also working as BLOs. We finish school by 2.30pm and then go for surveys. The amount, to be honest, is quite minimal. We are paid ₹25,000 in total – ₹9,000 for this phase and ₹16,000 for the next. And that will be paid only after the entire exercise ends next year,” said another enumerator, also requesting anonymity.The transition from classrooms to fieldwork requires teachers to quickly adapt from managing students and lesson plans in the morning to navigating unfamiliar neighbourhoods, addressing public concerns and ensuring accurate data collection in the afternoon and evening.Singh recounted how personal commitments often overlap with official duties. Referring to a colleague whose daughter is getting married this week, he said, “He has just taken two days’ off and will be back to work after the festivities. But despite the strain, we feel that we have a sense of responsibility towards the nation. This is like an adventure and we enjoy it.”