Karnataka schools to be closed from October 8-18 to enable teachers to complete caste survey work

Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], October 7 (ANI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday announced holidays for government schools in the State from October 8 to October 18, enabling teachers involved in the ongoing social and educational survey to complete their work.
The survey was originally scheduled to end today. However, the Chief Minister said that in some districts, the survey work is still incomplete.
"From September 22, we began a statewide survey to understand the social, educational, and economic conditions of the people. Today marks the final day of the survey as per the original schedule. However, in some districts, the survey work is still incomplete. In Koppal, 97% of the work is done," Siddaramaiah said in a press conference.
The Chief Minister said that in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi, only 63% of the work is complete. Across the state, the survey has not progressed as expected, he added.
"A total of 1.2 lakh teachers and 60,000 other officials have participated in the survey. The Teachers' Association has submitted a request. Therefore, we have held discussions with representatives of the permanent backward classes," Siddaramaiah said.
"To enable teachers to fully participate in the survey, the government has declared holidays for government schools for the next eight days. Teachers involved in II PUC (Second Year Pre-University) exam work will be exempt, while others can participate in the survey. In Bengaluru, to ensure better progress, we have instructed officials to complete the survey before Diwali. Overall, the government has extended the survey period by twelve days," he added.
Meanwhile, earlier in the day, Karnataka Minister Eshwar Khandre said that the purpose of the survey is to understand the socio-economic conditions of all communities, enabling the government to ensure social justice for all.
"It is not a caste census, it is a socio-economic census to know the backwardness of the socio-economic conditions of all the communities of the state...Social justice will be done for all communities. There is no need for any community to panic, " Khandre told ANI.
Karnataka's socio-economic and educational survey started on September 22 and is scheduled to conclude on October 7. The survey aims to enumerate around 7 crore people in the state, and get to know about their social and economic status in society.
A team led by Madhusudan Naik, along with five members, went around the state to collect data, with the aim of covering 50 thousand houses daily. (ANI)