- A government order in Chhattisgarh has directed teachers to monitor stray dogs in and around schools
- Teacher associations have said the order insults educators and demands its immediate withdrawal
- Teachers must report stray dogs to local authorities and prevent their entry into schools, the order has said
A government order directing teachers to monitor stray dogs on school premises has sparked sharp criticism across Chhattisgarh. Teacher associations and political leaders have called it an "insult" to the teaching community and demanded its immediate withdrawal.
On November 20, the Chhattisgarh Public Education Directorate issued a circular, instructing teachers to keep an eye on stray dogs roaming in and around schools.
Teachers have been asked to promptly report such dogs to the local Gram Panchayat, Janpad Panchayat, Municipal Corporation, or the designated Dog Catcher Nodal Officer.
They have also been told to "make necessary arrangements" to prevent the entry of stray dogs into school premises.
The order has triggered strong objections from teacher unions, who say such directives demean the dignity of educators already burdened with excessive non-academic tasks.
Speaking to NDTV, Kajesh Kumar, vice president of teachers' association, said: "Teachers are responsible for schoolchildren. But issuing orders like monitoring stray dogs is not appropriate. We are already handling multiple administrative duties. Assigning dog-catching responsibilities is unacceptable."
Several principals and headmasters have also expressed concern, saying they are already overloaded with School Inspection Reports, election duties, surveys, and administrative paperwork. The new responsibility, they said, is "absurd" and "unworkable."
Former Deputy Chief Minister and senior Congress leader TS Singh Deo also slammed the directive, calling it "misguided" and "unfair to teachers".
He said teachers should be "100 per cent responsible for school education," and they may be assigned exceptional duties such as census work but not tasks unrelated to academics.
Singh Deo added that the decision should be withdrawn immediately, reiterating that the burden of monitoring stray dogs cannot be placed on teachers who are already struggling due to staff shortages.
The controversy comes at a time when Chhattisgarh is facing a severe teacher shortage, with 22,464 teaching posts vacant. According to data from the Education Department, 7,957 posts are vacant in primary schools, 7,734 posts in middle schools and 6,773 posts in high and higher secondary schools.
The vacancies have raised concern about the deteriorating quality of education, especially in rural and remote regions, where schools often function with just one or two teachers.
