In a controversial move that has sparked widespread concern, principals of government schools and pre-university colleges across Karnataka have been ordered to identify and report on stray dogs within their campuses. Failure to comply could result in disciplinary action, placing an additional burden on educators already swamped with academic responsibilities.
Directive Clashes with Academic Priorities
The directive, issued by the department of school education and literacy, is based on a Supreme Court order. It mandates headmasters to submit detailed reports on whether stray dogs found on school grounds are sterilised, vaccinated, or relocated to shelters. The timing has been heavily criticised, as it coincides with the crucial period when institutions are focused on completing syllabi and preparing students for the SSLC and PU board examinations.
Dr Sandeep Budihal, state president of the Karnataka State Secondary Teachers' Association, highlighted the impracticality of the task. Teachers, he said, lack the expertise to verify a dog's medical status and are being forced to upload assumed information on Google Sheets. "We are asked to observe dogs in and around school and college premises. If a dog enters the campus, we ensure it is driven away. But we are also instructed to take photographs and videos of the dogs and prepare a panchanama along with assistant teachers," Budihal explained.
Teachers Become Dog Census Officials
The process has descended into chaos, according to educators. Once details are uploaded to official WhatsApp groups for DDPI and DDPU, officials demand additional information the very next day, leaving no reasonable time for compliance. Furthermore, apart from the education department, local bodies like city corporations and municipalities are also demanding the same details, creating a multi-pronged pressure cooker situation.
"Instead of focusing on educational activities, we are spending our days running behind stray dogs," Dr Budihal remarked, capturing the frustration of the teaching community. The absurdity was compounded by a circular issued on January 3, which mandated the submission of a panchanama report by January 5, with January 4 being a Sunday.
Exercise Reduced to a Mere Formality
Questioning the very foundation of the exercise, Budihal pointed out the impossibility of the task. "How can we know if a dog is sterilised or not? We are simply filling in ‘yes'. The entire process is being carried out only for formality," he alleged. He further noted that the department had earlier assured teachers that no non-academic work, barring general election duties, would be assigned to them, making this new directive a breach of that understanding.
Echoing these sentiments, Chandrashekhar Nugli, president of the Karnataka State Primary School Teachers Association, stated that while reporting the presence of dogs was acceptable, the insistence on photographic evidence and sterilisation verification was detrimental. "This affects the teaching process in schools. The govt should assign work that helps improve the quality of education," he urged.
The order has left headmasters, particularly in districts like Dharwad, in a bind. They have been forced to submit undertaking letters citing Supreme Court writ petition number 17623 of 2025. Attempts to reach Primary and Secondary Education Minister Madhu Bangarappa for comment were unsuccessful. As the academic year reaches its peak, Karnataka's teachers find themselves playing an unintended and unwilling role as canine census officers, much to the detriment of their primary educational mission.
