Karnataka extends Dasara holidays for government and aided schools to October 18

The Karnataka government has extended Dasara holidays for government and aided schools until October 18 to allow teachers to focus on the ongoing Social and Educational Survey , officials said.

"Coverage in Bengaluru is low at just 36%. There are 6,700 teachers engaged in survey work in Bengaluru. There are 46 lakh households in the city. Per day, we had fixed 10-15 homes as the target. We want to finish the survey in Bengaluru before Deepavali," Siddaramaiah said announcing holidays up to October 18.

The Dasara holidays had begun on September 20. Earlier this week, the government had temporarily adjusted school timings to 8 am to 1 pm to provide teachers more time for survey work. However, following a request from the Karnataka State Primary School Teachers Association, the chief minister decided to extend holidays further to facilitate completion of the survey.

Pre-University teachers will be exempted from survey duties due to upcoming midterm examinations.

The survey, sometimes referred to as the “caste survey,” was originally scheduled to conclude by October 7. Siddaramaiah noted that while some districts like Koppal have completed 97% of the work, others, including Udupi and Dakshina Kannada , lag at 63% and 60% respectively. He emphasised that the state-wide survey will now be completed in eight working days, ending October 18.

In a related announcement, the chief minister confirmed a compensation of Rs 20 lakh to three staff members who died during the survey.

With the extended holidays and adjusted schedules, the Karnataka government aims to ensure all households across the state are covered efficiently, without affecting the academic calendar for students.

(With inputs from PTI )