Chhattisgarh Govt Orders Teachers To Track Stray Dogs Near School Premises, Sparks Widespread Backlash

A fresh controversy has emerged in Chhattisgarh following a government order instructing teachers to monitor stray dogs on school premises. The directive, which has drawn sharp criticism, has been labelled an "insult" to the teaching community by educators and political leaders, who are calling for its immediate withdrawal.

The Chhattisgarh Public Education Directorate on November 20, issued a circular that directs teachers to keep an eye on stray dogs roaming in and around school premises. According to an NDTV report, teachers have been instructed to report any sightings of such dogs to the local Gram Panchayat, Janpad Panchayat, Municipal Corporation, or the designated Dog Catcher Nodal Officer.

The official order also states that teachers must "make necessary arrangements" to prevent stray dogs from entering school premises.

The sudden announcement has sparked outrage among teacher unions, who argue that such responsibilities demean the dignity of educators already burdened with numerous non-academic duties.

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Kajesh Kumar, Vice President of the Teachers' Association, told NDTV, “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 school principals and headmasters have expressed concern over the new directive, stating that they are already swamped with tasks such as School Inspection Reports, election duties, surveys, and other administrative work. They have called the new responsibility "absurd" and "unworkable."

Former Deputy Chief Minister and senior Congress leader TS Singh Deo also condemned the order, calling it "misguided" and "unfair to teachers." He added that teachers should be “100 per cent responsible for school education” and may be assigned exceptional duties like census work, but not tasks unrelated to academics.

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Singh Deo further emphasised that the decision should be revoked immediately, pointing out that the burden of tracking stray dogs should not fall on teachers, especially when they are already struggling due to staff shortages.

The controversy comes at a time when Chhattisgarh is grappling with a severe teacher shortage. According to the Education Department, there are currently 22,464 vacant teaching posts in the state. Of these, 7,957 are in primary schools, 7,734 in middle schools, and 6,773 in high and higher secondary schools.