PANAJI
The Directorate of Education issued a fresh reminder on Saturday to all educational institutions to implement safety measures mandated by the Supreme Court regarding stray dog management, with the first compliance report due on November 17.
In a circular signed by Education Director Shailesh Sinai Zingde, institutions have been directed to file the status of measures taken to address stray dog presence on or before the deadline.
“...All school managements in the State are hereby directed to strictly adhere to the directives of the Supreme Court of India and furnish the current status of response measures undertaken to address the presence of stray dogs in the vicinity of their respective institutions on or before November 17,” reads the circular.
The order, issued earlier on November 11 to government, aided, and unaided schools, colleges, universities, and coaching institutes, cited public safety, health concerns, and the wider issue of stray dog management as key reasons for the renewed push.
Institutions have been told to strengthen physical safeguards around campuses, including fencing, boundary walls and gates, to prevent animals from entering.
“The administrative heads of the educational institutions shall ensure that the premises are secured by adequate fencing, boundary walls, gates and such other measures as may be necessary to prevent the ingress of stray dogs,” the circular stated.
While the exercise has an eight-week completion window, the Directorate has made it clear that the first progress update cannot be delayed. Officials have also warned that non-compliance could attract action, given that the instructions follow apex court directions.
Each institution must also appoint a nodal officer to oversee campus cleanliness and ensure dogs do not enter or inhabit school grounds.
Quarterly inspections have been made compulsory, and any stray dog habitat identified on or near a campus must be reported to local authorities for immediate removal, with a follow-up report due within a week.
