Chhattisgarh government tasks school principals to monitor stray dogs in and around premises

Chhattisgarh principals are tasked with monitoring stray dogs at schools and reporting the presence of stray dogs in or around school premises, according to new guidelines issued by the State government.

While the school education department that issued these guidelines has stated that they have been issued  in compliance with recent directions of the Supreme Court, the move has seen a backlash from the Opposition Congress and some section of teachers who say that this will increase the non-academic workload of the teachers.

“Acting on the orders passed by the Supreme Court and based on instructions from the state’s Livestock Development Department, the department has directed all schools to immediately implement protective measures. The principal of every school or head of the institutions has been designated as the nodal officer responsible for monitoring and reporting the presence of stray dogs in or around school premises,” read an official statement.

If stray dogs are spotted, the nodal officer must promptly inform the designated dog-catcher nodal officer of the concerned gram panchayat, janpad panchayat or municipal corporation, said in the guidelines.

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It further mentions the added security measures schools have been instructed to comply with such as installing necessary barriers and preventive mechanisms to stop stray dogs from entering the campus, the department stated.

In the event of a dog-bite incident, the statement added, the school administration will be responsible for ensuring the child is immediately taken to the nearest health.

Slamming the move, Congress spokesperson Sushil Anand Shukla asked why teachers were being assigned duties meant for municipal experts.

“Teachers have already been roped in as Booth Level Officers (BLOs) for Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. Studies are getting affected in schools. It seems education is not a priority of the government,” he said.

Some teachers also questioned the move and wondered why was the education department being made a laboratory of experiments when other departments too had manpower while underlining that managing all the extra work could affect their core duty of educating children.