Teachers' Exams vs. Dog Patrols: A School Dilemma

Chennai schools are facing a unique challenge as teachers are reluctant to assume the role of "nodal officers" tasked with keeping campuses free of stray dogs. The school education department's directive, issued on December 8, mandates that every headmaster appoint such officers and report to local bodies.

However, educators argue that their current workload, including regular classes, special coaching for weaker students, co-curricular activities, and daily portal updates, leaves no room for dog patrols, especially with critical half-yearly and annual examinations approaching. This has led some headmasters to self-nominate for the duty.

While the School Education Director acknowledges teacher complaints, he stresses that appointing a nodal officer is mandatory, though enforcement rests with local bodies. Suggestions to delegate the task to physical education or part-time subject teachers are hampered by a significant number of vacancies for PE teachers statewide, further complicating efforts to relieve teachers of these added responsibilities.