Shivamogga: On the second day of Karnataka’s ambitious Social and Educational Survey 2025, school teachers assigned as enumerators are still struggling with persistent technical glitches in the mobile application. These issues are significantly slowing down the crucial data collection process, creating frustration and delays across the state.
Many enumerators are reporting a difficult experience, with the survey’s mobile application often unresponsive. This has led to lengthy delays, with some spending up to an hour just to collect data from a single family, far exceeding the projected time.
Field reports from The Hindu confirm these difficulties, as conversations with both enumerators and master trainers reveal an ongoing struggle to troubleshoot and manage the technical issues as they arise during data entry.
In one instance, K.T. Manjula, a teacher conducting the survey in Basavanagudi, Shivamogga, managed to collect 40 questions worth of data from an elderly male family member in approximately 15 minutes and successfully input it into the app.
However, the process stalled when she attempted to get a one-time password (OTP) required to enter the details for the female member. Despite multiple attempts, the OTP failed to generate, preventing further progress.
Even with the intervention of master trainer Yathish Gowda, the issue remained unresolved. By this point, Manjula had spent over 45 minutes at the residence, unable to complete the family’s enumeration.
Another enumerator, Bhaskar K. Bhat, responsible for the Basavanagudi Extension, reported being unable to start the process at all. “The application is completely unresponsive,” he stated. “I haven’t been able to input data for even a single family.”
Similarly, Ravi Kumar, assigned to Hosamane Extension, attempted data collection at a household but was forced to leave without completing the survey due to technical issues. “I’m taking a break for now and will attempt again later,” he remarked.
The duration required for each family’s enumeration naturally varies based on the number of members within the household.
Yathish Gowda, a Shivamogga master trainer, explained the expected workflow: “For a two-member family, the process should take about 30 minutes. Each individual answers 40 questions, followed by 20 questions specific to the household. More family members mean a longer process. After initial data entry, enumerators must read out all recorded information for respondent confirmation.”
Drawing on his experience from the previous survey led by the Justice H.N. Nagamohan Das Commission, Mr. Gowda expressed optimism: “Based on my past experience, I anticipate the process will smooth out within a day or two. Initial technical issues are common, and the survey’s pace should gradually improve.”
Each enumerator is responsible for surveying 150 families, with one supervisor overseeing every 20 enumerators. The supervisor’s role includes randomly checking 10% of surveyed households to verify the accuracy and completeness of the data collected.