BAREILLY: Block education officers (BEOs) in Bareilly were told to collect 1,500 quintals of straw for stray cattle housed in local cow shelters earlier this month. The order by Basic Shiksha Adhikari (BSA) Vineeta Singh mandated each of the district’s 15 BEOs to collect at least 100 quintals from their respective blocks.The matter ignited a controversy after a letter issued by Nawabganj BEO Satyadev on May 22 was leaked online. It told teachers they had exactly seven days to gather the straw, threatening an interdepartmental probe against anyone who failed to comply.There was fierce resistance from educators. “What are we here for – to teach children or collect straw?… It is unacceptable, and if they persist, we will take to the streets,” said Bhanu Pratap Singh, a govt school teacher.Senior administrative officials distanced themselves from the controversy. Bareilly district magistrate Avinash Singh claimed he had no knowledge of the directive.Defending the move initially, BEO Satyadev alleged teachers were not complying with departmental orders. “Therefore, instructions to provide fodder were made mandatory earlier,” he said. Following the public uproar, Satyadev issued a second letter clarifying that it was entirely voluntary.BSA Singh scrambled to reframe the order as a harmless charitable drive rather than a mandate. “It was never compulsory. This is simply a matter of humanity. The concept was merely that if a villager or city resident wanted to donate straw for stray cattle, the local teacher could act as a contact point to help collect it,” she told TOI.
