**
A Bizarre Directive Sparks Anger
In the long and often bewildering annals of Indian bureaucracy, a new chapter has been written in Chhattisgarh. A move by the Raipur Municipal Corporation has left educators and the public in disbelief, sparking outrage in Chhattisgarh as teachers were asked to track stray dogs at schools.
The circular, part of a city-wide “Stray Dog Management Abhiyan” (Campaign), directs teachers and principals to count, monitor, and report the presence of stray dogs on school grounds. The stated goal is to support the municipal body’s animal birth control and anti-rabies vaccination programs. While the public health concern is valid, the method has been condemned as a glaring example of misplaced priorities.
The question on everyone’s lips is simple: Since when did animal management become part of a teacher’s job description?
“We Are Here to Shape Minds, Not Chase Canines”
Educators across the state are furious, arguing they are already stretched to their limits. Beyond their core duty of educating students, teachers are routinely burdened with non-academic tasks like election duty, census work, and supervising mid-day meals. This latest directive, they say, is the final straw.
“We are here to shape young minds, not to chase canines,” a senior teacher from a government school in Raipur said on the condition of anonymity. “Our primary focus is on the curriculum, on helping students who have fallen behind post-pandemic. Now, we are expected to risk our safety to count dogs? It’s insulting and absurd.”
Safety Concerns and Professional Disregard
These safety concerns are not unfounded. Approaching stray dogs requires training and caution—skills that teachers do not possess. The order places educators, and by extension their students, in potentially dangerous situations without any training. The circular offers no guidance on what to do if a teacher is bitten while conducting this ‘survey’.
Teachers‘ unions and education activists have sharply criticized the move, seeing it as symptomatic of a deeper malaise: a complete disregard for the sanctity of the teaching profession. By delegating such tasks, the administration not only distracts them from their vital role but also devalues their expertise.
A Flawed Approach to a Real Problem
Moreover, the entire plan seems woefully inefficient. A proper stray animal management program requires a scientific approach carried out by trained veterinarians and animal welfare organizations—not by overburdened educators. The data collected by untrained teachers is likely to be inaccurate, rendering the exercise futile.
As news of the circular went viral, citizens rallied behind the teachers. The consensus is clear: the problem of stray dogs must be addressed, but this is unequivocally not the way to do it. The Raipur Municipal Corporation needs a practical solution that involves professionals.
While the controversial order may be rescinded in the face of public outcry, the incident has exposed a fundamental disconnect between policymakers and the reality on the ground. Our teachers are on the front lines of a national learning crisis; it is time we armed them with resources and respect, not a dog-tracking manual. Let teachers teach.
**
