New Delhi: The Delhi government on Thursday clarified that school teachers have not been tasked with counting stray dogs in the city, countering reports suggesting educators were being assigned field-level
census duties.
According to the India Today’s reports, Officials from the Directorate of Education (DoE) said the confusion arose from recent directives issued to schools regarding stray dog-related matters. “Teachers have not been asked to conduct any surveys or field exercises,” a government source stated.
Instead, the DoE had earlier instructed schools and other educational institutions to nominate nodal officers who would act as points of contact for stray dog-related issues. District Education Officers (DEOs) were tasked with compiling details of these officers including their names, designations, and contact information and submitting consolidated reports to the office of the Delhi Chief Secretary. According to the India today reports, individual submissions from schools were not required.
The move, the DoE said, is linked to public safety measures and is being carried out in compliance with a Supreme Court order issued on November 7, 2025, as well as follow-up directions from a review meeting held on November 20. Schools were also advised to prominently display the nodal officers’ details outside their premises to ensure public awareness.
Teachers’ associations had previously raised concerns, arguing that such directives could divert educators from their academic responsibilities and affect teaching work. They questioned why departments responsible for animal welfare were not handling the matter independently.
Sant Ram, the president of a government teachers' association, stated that although teachers have always offered their services when needed, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, it was unjust to students to assign them to non-teaching tasks during working hours. It will benefit society and the nation if educators are permitted to concentrate solely on teaching during school hours. Diverting instructors during the academic term is unfair to children, he said, but such tasks can be assigned during vacations, as per the PTI reports.
A number of states and Union territories, including Uttar Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Karnataka, and Chhattisgarh, have previously issued similar directions regarding the deployment of teachers for animal-related concerns.
With the latest clarification, the Delhi government has emphasised that teachers will not be deployed for stray dog counting, and their role is strictly limited to administrative coordination through nominated nodal officers.
