The Social & Educational Survey in Karnataka, initially scheduled to conclude on Tuesday, October 7, may be extended until October 24 in Bengaluru, according to a memo from the Department of School Education & Literacy.
As reported by Deccan Herald, schools are set to reopen on October 8 following the Dasara holidays, but timings have been adjusted to allow teachers sufficient time to complete the survey.
From October 8 to 24, government and aided schools in Greater Bengaluru will hold classes from 8 am to 1 pm, with the remainder of the day allocated for survey work. In other parts of the state, all government and aided schools will follow the 8 am to 1 pm schedule from October 8 to 12.
The memo follows a request from the Backward Classes Department, which highlighted the need for additional time to complete the survey. The Karnataka State Commission for Backward Classes is expected to announce a formal extension in the coming days.
As of Monday, the survey had covered 1.15 crore households across Karnataka, including 1.36 lakh households in Bengaluru. Overall, 1.17 crore of the targeted 1.43 crore households have been surveyed.
Parents, teachers react
However, the revised school hours have drawn criticism from teachers and parents.
“If the child has to reach school at 8 am, we’ll have to leave home an hour early. Transportation will be a problem for students in rural areas,” one teacher told DH.
Another teacher pointed out logistical challenges, adding, “There are single-teacher schools. We need to serve them mid-day meals as well. After doing all the work at school, how can we take part in the survey? The government should consider that we’re humans, too.”
Home Minister G Parameshwara, however, supported the proposed extension, stating it would help ensure survey completion.
“On an average, 80 per cent of the survey work has been done and extending it by 4-5 days will help to achieve 100 per cent progress,” he said, as quoted by DH.
He also noted that while some districts have completed around 80 per cent of the work, others are only at the 50 per cent mark.