“>Chennai: A directive from school education department asks principals to name “nodal officers” to keep campuses free of stray dogs. But no teacher wants to trade lesson plans for dog patrols, with exams bearing down.
On Dec 8, the govt stated that every headmaster must appoint nodal officers in their schools, display name and details on the school notice board and convey information to the respective local body. “In corporation and govt schools, there is no administrative and teaching staff. Every person, besides housekeeping staff, is a faculty member in our school. With half-yearly exams going on, and the annual exams set to commence in a few months, why will a teacher take on this additional task of keeping an eye out for dogs?” asked a headmaster of a corporation school in Ernavoor.
In some schools, the school heads have nominated themselves for the work. “Teachers are preoccupied with regular classes. They hold special training sessions for academically weak, and take care of co-curricular activities. They also upload daily attendance and test scores in various assessments on the EMIS portal. Where is the time for them to do anything more?” asked a headmaster from a govt higher secondary school on the ECR.
School education director S Kannappan said that teachers complained, but school administration must appoint a nodal officer. “The enforcement of strict rules lies with the local bodies, not schools. The schools can only do their part,” he said.
M M Ramalakshmi, a retired school headmistress, said that such tasks should ideally be given to physical education teachers or those recruited for part-time subjects such as music and drawing under the Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan. However, president of TN Physical Education and Physical Directors Association S Sankaraperumal said PE teachers/directors are yet to be appointed in over 3,000 higher secondary schools across the state. “The govt must demarcate teaching and non-teaching staff in all schools. Teachers should not be burdened with such work,” said president of TN Students Parents Welfare Association S Arumainathan.
