Row erupts in gujarat over circular asking teachers to conduct stray dog survey

A fresh controversy has erupted in Gujarat after the Commissionerate Of Schools, Gujarat, directed officials to conduct the survey of stray dogs in their educational institutions, which led to Congress accusing the government of burdening teachers with non-academic work.

Under the Supreme Court’s orders, authorities have been asked to maintain accurate data on the number of dogs present in institutions across the state, including hospitals, dispensaries, educational institutions, bus stations and railway stations.

To ensure compliance with the apex court’s directives, a circular issued on February 11 instructed school principals to  conduct a survey of dogs in all educational institutions, offices and campuses under their jurisdiction.

A district-wise brief report, duly signed and stamped by the District Education Officer, must be submitted within three days, demanded the circular. 

The move, however, has drawn sharp criticism from the Gujarat Congress. Party spokesperson Dr. Manish Doshi reportedly alleged that teachers in the state have long been assigned duties unrelated to education, affecting classroom teaching.

He said teachers are already tasked with activities such as toilet surveys, crowd mobilisation, election duties and SIR (Special Intensive Revision) work.

Doshi claimed that nearly 3,000 schools in Gujarat are run with only one teacher appointed in them and assigning additional responsibilities like counting stray dogs would further reduce teaching time. “Is there no other department that can carry out such work? The government is giving teachers tasks that have nothing to do with education,” he said, as per reports.

The Congress has demanded that the circular be immediately withdrawn and that the responsibility of conducting the stray dog survey be assigned to the appropriate civic authorities instead of teachers. The issue has reignited debate over the growing non-academic workload of teachers in the state.

Responding to questions raised by the Congress, Education Minister Pradumn Vaja said, “Making allegations is their right and also their job. This circular has been issued as per the directions of the Hon’ble Supreme Court. It clearly states that the assessment is limited only to one’s own educational institutions, and there is no requirement to visit or conduct surveys at any external locations.”