Acting on a recent Supreme Court directive to relocate stray dogs from public spaces, the Department of School Education and Literacy (DSEL) has instructed all private, government, aided and unaided schools in Karnataka to count the number of stray dogs on their premises and submit a report.
The order mandates that each school appoint a nodal officer—either the principal or a senior teacher—to coordinate the exercise. Schools must also assist local organisations in transporting the dogs to shelters and ensure preventive measures, such as compound walls or fencing, to stop strays from entering the campus again.
Field education officers and district deputy directors have been asked to work with urban and rural local bodies to ensure compliance across schools under their jurisdiction.
However, several school managements have objected to the directive. Lokesh Talikatte, president of the Registered and Unaided Private Schools Association, said the order was unfair at a time when teachers are preparing students for upcoming board examinations.
“The teachers have to complete the lessons before December 15. Asking them to count dogs and coordinate with organisations to shift them is not fair. It should not have been made compulsory,” he said.