Bengaluru schools asked to count stray dogs: Teachers ask, is this our job now? , Bengaluru-News News

It started quietly, without any warning. A Google Form arrived in the inboxes of private schools in Bengaluru, asking them to collect information about stray dogs around their campuses. Count the dogs nearby. Fill in the details. submit.

What seemed routine on paper seemed unrealistic on the ground. Teachers and principals alike stopped and re-read the instructions, wondering whether it was true or a prank gone wrong. For many teachers, it marked a strange new chapter where classrooms seemed to merge with civilian field work.

Reason offered security

Officials insist the intent is safety. Stray dog ​​attacks near schools have been a recurring concern, and they argue that data is the first step to action. Only a few people in the education sector dispute the problem. Children’s safety matters. Parents are worried. Schools face problems with dogs entering the premises or gathering near the gate.

What shocked school management was not the concern, but the attitude. Why school? Why teacher? And why is a dog count conducted through a Google Form without context, clarity or consultation.

We have already taken a census

The teachers’ response was swift, sharp and full of dark humor. The staff was buzzing with group comparisons. Just a few months ago, many teachers were deployed for statewide census-level surveys unrelated to education. Now, he joked bitterly, the responsibility had increased.

“We used to go door-to-door collecting data for government surveys earlier. Now we are asked to count street dogs. Are we teachers or unpaid civilian employees? This seems absurd,” said a private school teacher, requesting anonymity.

Not resistance but fatigue

What schools are expressing is exhaustion. Teachers already handle the teaching load, administrative reporting, compliance paperwork, parent communications and digital documentation. Non-academic duties continue to increase, often without any additional support or compensation.

Each additional task may seem small in isolation. Together, they drain both time and morale. Many teachers say that teaching is increasingly being considered secondary, bogged down by surveys, forms and duties that have nothing to do with learning.

How do you calculate a dog accurately?

Apart from the disappointment, there is also a practical problem. No method was provided in the order. Do schools count dogs seen in the morning? over a week. Only near gates or even on adjacent roads. Do roaming dogs count if they are vaccinated and neutered. What about those dogs who appear at night but disappear during school hours.

Teachers fear inference disguised as data. Wrong numbers can lead to poor planning, misplaced blame, or worse, liability if something goes wrong.

accountability without authority

School managements are also uneasy about accountability. If a dog-related incident occurs later and questions are asked, who will be responsible? The authority that outsourced the work or the school that provided the estimated data.

This uncertainty has given rise to a quiet response. Some schools are reluctantly complying to avoid trouble. Others are formulating reactions questioning the validity and logic of the directive. Education unions are discussing whether to formally object.

rule by convenience

At the root of this controversy lies a major habit of governance. When administrations face capacity constraints, schools are often the easiest option. They are organized, responsive and rarely refuse outright. Teachers argue that this facility has become an excuse to endlessly expand their role.

Animal population management requires trained staff, ward level planning and sustained programmes. Asking teachers to collect wildlife data exposes weak civic capacity rather than solving the problem.

what speed does it provide

Teachers fear it will set a precedent. Stray dogs today. There will be garbage mapping tomorrow. Streetlight audit next week. Each task was justified as trivial, each quietly absorbed by the schools.

The concern is not about helping the city. It’s about boundaries. Schools exist to provide education. When they are repeatedly reused as civilian labour, the system risks overlooking priorities.

a line drawn quietly

Bengaluru prides itself on being progressive and future-oriented. But governance is sent through Google Forms, which is easiest to mobilize, which hardly reflects that image. Teachers are not denying civic responsibility. They are raising questions on wrong responsibility.

As one administrator said privately, classes should not become a troubleshooter for administrative shortcuts. Teachers signed up to shape minds, not manage a database of stray dogs.