Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday announced a 10-day holiday for schools across Karnataka to facilitate the ongoing caste-wise census.
Government and government-aided schools will remain closed from Wednesday until October 18, the Chief Minister said. The decision follows a request made by the state teachers’ union, which had sought temporary closure to assist in census-related work.
The holiday has been declared considering the teachers’ involvement in the caste census process and to ensure the smooth conduct of the survey, Siddaramaiah said, as per reports.
Private schools are expected to continue their regular academic schedule unless otherwise directed by local education authorities.
The caste-wise census, being carried out across Karnataka, aims to collect comprehensive data on social and economic demographics to aid in policy planning and welfare schemes.
Caste Census Details
The Social and Educational Survey, popularly known as the ‘caste census,’ which was originally scheduled to conclude on Tuesday, is now likely to be extended, according to a memo from the Department of School Education and Literacy. Dated October 6, the memo refers to a request from the Backward Classes Welfare Department for additional time to complete the exercise.
The document also highlighted that adjustments to school timings were made to protect students’ academic schedules, ensuring regular classes were not disrupted by the survey, particularly after the mid-year vacation period.
The survey, conducted by the Karnataka State Commission for Backward Classes, began on September 22 and was initially slated to finish on October 7, as per PTI. However, in the Greater Bengaluru region, the schedule faced delays due to local authorities requesting additional training and logistical support. The exercise is currently still underway.
In 2015, Karnataka government spent Rs 165.51 crore for Social and Educational Survey which was discarded.