Appoint nodal officers to manage stray dog issues around campuses: DoE to Delhi schools after SC's order

The Directorate of Education DoE has instructed Delhi schools to appoint nodal officers to manage stray dogrelated issues around their campuses in compliance with a Supreme Court directive reported the PTIOfficials clarified that no specific responsibilities have been assigned to teacherIn an official statement issued on Monday the directorate clarified No directions have been issued by the Directorate of Education concerning the assignment of specific duties to teachersIn a circular dated December 5 the DoEs Caretaking Branch directed district education officers to designate nodal officers from schools for stray dogrelated matters and submit their details to the directorate which will forward the consolidated list to the chief secretaryTeachers associations however opposed the move claiming that assigning such duties during the academic session could adversely affect teaching work especially as preboard examinations are currently underway in several schools reported PTIAs per the circular the details to be shared include the name designation contact number and email ID of the nominated nodal officers from schools stadiums and sports complexes under the districtThe nodal officers will act as point persons for stray dogrelated issues and their details must be displayed prominently outside school buildings and other educational premises for public awareness it statedDistrict education officers were directed to submit a compiled districtlevel list of details the circular said adding that replies from individual schools would not be acceptedIn North West A district the deputy director of education has issued an order naming 118 staff members from different schools in the zone for the task The order also mentions three nodal officers representing three zonesSeparately the Municipal Corporation of Delhi MCD also appointed 97 nodal officers in municipal schools for stray dogrelated coordination according to an order issued on November 28The DoE said the move is linked to public safety and is being implemented in accordance with the Supreme Courts November 7 order pertaining to the stray dog issue and directions issued during a meeting held on November 20 The task has been marked as a top priority the circular added reported PTIThe Supreme Court order directed local authorities to remove stray dogs from public places like schools and hospitals to sterilise and vaccinate them ABC rules and shift them to shelters without releasing them back citing rising attacks and rabies infectionsTeachers bodies however questioned why departments responsible for animal welfare are not handling the issue cautioning that repeated nonacademic assignments undermine the dignity of the teaching professionPresident of a government teachers association Sant Ram said teachers have always extended their services whenever required especially during the COVID19 pandemic but deploying them for nonteaching duties during working days was unfair to studentsIf teachers are allowed to focus only on education during school days it will be in the best interest of society and the country Such duties can be assigned during vacations but diverting teachers during the academic session is an injustice to children he said reported PTIThe DoE circular follows directions issued by the Supreme Court on November 7 in a suo motu case titled City Hounded by Strays Kids Pay Price which dealt with stray dog management and steps to reduce humandog conflicts especially around schoolsTo implement the courts order the Urban Development Department of the Delhi government held a meeting on November 12 chaired by the secretary Urban Development During the meeting departments were instructed to take coordinated steps to ensure safety in schools and public spaces according to a circular dated November 20As part of the compliance plan schools offices and stadiums were directed to prevent the entry of stray dogs into their premises through security staff nominate nodal officers carry out regular inspections to check for dog habitats and conduct awareness sessions for students and staff on animal behavior first aid in case of dog bites and reporting proceduresThe Caretaking Branch of the DoE has been designated the nodal branch to coordinate the exercise it stated reported PTISimilar directives involving the deployment of teachers for animalrelated matters have been issued earlier in several states and Union Territories including Uttar Pradesh Jammu and Kashmir Karnataka and ChhattisgarhWith PTI inputs