PEERZADA AARIF
“Teaching is not a generic administrative task; it is a vocation grounded in pedagogical training, subject expertise, and an ethical commitment to students’ intellectual and emotional development.”
The recent administrative order directing teachers in the Kashmir Valley to act as nodal officers for monitoring stray dogs outside school premises invites a necessary and deep reflection on the state of the teaching profession. While the safety of students is undeniably paramount, the method chosen to address this concern exposes a persistent structural flaw in governance: the failure to recognize and respect the specialized professional identity of educators.
Teaching is far more than just a job; it is a vocation grounded in specialized pedagogical training, deep subject-matter expertise, and ethical commitment to student development. Teachers operate within a framework designed to foster cognitive, social, and emotional growth. When educators are routinely assigned duties that fall completely outside this professional domain, it does more than just consume time; it fundamentally disrupts the educational process itself. It erodes the distinct institutional identity of schools, turning them into centers of administrative convenience rather than sacred spaces dedicated to learning and intellectual growth.
Teachers in government schools, especially in geographically challenging or resource constrained areas, already face immense pressure. They contend with inadequate physical infrastructure, large class sizes, ever changing curricular demands, and a heavy load of existing non-teaching administrative responsibilities. On top of these burdens, they are expected to consistently deliver high academic outcomes, manage complex assessments, and engage actively with parents and the wider community. Directives that further impose civic or vigilance tasks, such as monitoring animal populations, compound this professional fatigue and critically dilute their focus and effectiveness within the classroom.
From a broader societal perspective, these kinds of orders carry significant long-term implications for how the profession is perceived. When the state itself assigns teachers tasks unrelated to education, it inadvertently reinforces a damaging public perception of teachers as easily transferable, general-purpose workers rather than highly skilled specialists. This constant erosion of professional status does not just affect the current morale of teachers; it diminishes public respect for the profession, undermines a teacher’s authority in the classroom, and makes teaching a far less attractive career path for future generations of talented individuals.
Furthermore, asking teachers to manage issues like stray animals raises serious ethical and potentially legal concerns. Teachers lack the necessary training, resources, or legal empowerment to safely or effectively handle animal control issues. Holding them accountable for outcomes in such situations is irresponsible. This blurring of professional boundaries reflects a governance model that often prioritizes highly visible, symbolic actions over implementing genuine, structural solutions. Real public safety challenges, like managing stray animal populations, demand coordinated, expert intervention from mandated municipal authorities, veterinary services, and urban planners not from pedagogical staff.
Educational research consistently demonstrates that role clarity, professional autonomy, and respect are indispensable elements for achieving high educational quality. When teachers’ instructional time is regularly compromised by non-academic functions, student engagement suffers, and learning outcomes inevitably decline. The current directive is not a trivial administrative glitch; it is a policy choice with direct, detrimental educational consequences.
The demand by teacher bodies for the withdrawal of such extraneous orders must therefore be understood not as an act of resistance to public welfare, but as a crucial assertion of professional integrity and dignity. Safeguarding children and upholding the professional dignity of educators are not mutually exclusive objectives. A responsible and well governed state must address both effectively through the appropriate, specialized institutional mechanisms. In conclusion, while the stray dog menace is a valid public concern, its resolution properly belongs to the departments specifically mandated for civic management. Teachers must be enabled to concentrate solely on their primary, fundamental role as educators. Any policy that undermines this focus risks weakening both the quality of the education system and the essential public trust in its institutions. Respect for the teaching profession is the foundation upon which educational excellence is built, and all policies must unequivocally reflect this fundamental truth.
The author is a teacher and freelancer. He hails from Baramulla and can be reached at aarifpeerzada1@gmail.com
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