Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan to Start Dog-Bite and Rabies Prevention Education

New Delhi: Setting out to make children in India safer, Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan, under the Ministry of Human Resource Development along with Federation of Indian Animal Protection Organisations (FIAPO) has recommended education on dog-bite and rabies prevention in all its schools. This follows a series of instances of dog-bite and rabies cases in different parts of the country.
This education programme covers all of KV’s 1100+ schools in different parts of the country, amounting to roughly 12 lakh students. It will be supported by FIAPO’s education material and the efforts of local animal protection groups and individuals. Given that children are amongst the most affected by dog-bites, this intervention has come at a timely moment.
This move, at the behest of a proposal by Federation of Indian Animal Protection Organisations (FIAPO), aims to ensure that students are taught about how to behave around street dogs, about basic dog behaviour, about post-bite care, and about rabies prevention.
This education program is part of a broader agenda to minimise conflict with dogs. This holistic programme emphasises the need for effective state-wide implementation of the Animal Birth Control (ABC) programme by all local bodies with a state-wide monitoring committee. In addition to ABC, other initiatives such as a mass Anti-Rabies Vaccination (ARV) of street dogs, and counselling of dog-bite patients in hospitals are ongoing in different parts of the country, such as Assam, Kerala and Punjab.
Mr. Tajuddin Sheikh, Assistant Commissioner, Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan, said, “We are happy to announce this initiative by Kendriya Vidyalaya to minimise human-dog conflict in India. This programme will go a long way in ensuring that children feel safe around dogs, and vice versa.”
Ms. Varda Mehrotra, Executive Director, FIAPO, said, “The fact that such a reputed government institution has recommended this education programme in its schools is of great significance. Children, who are amongst the most affected by dog-bites, will now get the benefit of understanding how to co-exist with dogs without conflict.”