After Census And Poll Duties, Teachers In Bihar Now Told To Count Dogs

In Bihar, where teachers are already juggling from census duties and Booth Level Officer (BLO) work to caste surveys, often at the cost of classroom teaching, there seems to be yet another task waiting to be added to their list. This time, it's not related to students or examinations, but to stray dogs. 

A recent directive issued by the Sasaram Municipal Corporation in Bihar's Rohtas district has triggered discussion and discomfort among the teaching community, raising questions about priorities in a state where the education system itself continues to struggle.

The Sasaram Municipal Corporation has issued an order directing all schools operating within the municipal limits to appoint a nodal officer, a teacher, to collect and share data related to stray dogs. 

According to the directive, the designated nodal teacher will be responsible for providing information on the number of stray dogs present within and around school premises, their condition, and possible measures for their control. The civic body is reportedly preparing to set up a dog pound as part of its plan to manage the stray dog population.

With this order, teachers, already burdened with several non-academic responsibilities, are now expected to take on the additional role of reporting on stray dogs.

Sasaram Municipal Commissioner Vikas Kumar said the directive was issued in line with government guidelines. He said that educational institutions were asked to provide details of nodal officers to help authorities gather accurate local-level information on stray dogs, which would assist in planning.

However, the move has not gone down well with teachers. Many have expressed frustration and discomfort, pointing out that they are routinely assigned tasks such as census work, BLO duties, and caste surveys, activities that have little to do with teaching, and now, they are being assigned the task of gathering information on stray dogs.