Teachers To Get professional Title ‘Tr.’ In Karnataka

Kudligi: Karnataka’s school teachers will have a professional title of their own, with the government deciding to allow them to prefix their names with ‘Tr.’, along the lines of ‘Dr.’ and ‘Prof.’

Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar made this announcement after launching the Praja Seva Abhiyana in Kudligi of Vijayanagara district on Saturday, Chief Minister DK Shivakumar said the decision was aimed at recognising the contribution of teachers to society.

There are around 4.5 lakh teachers in the state, he said, adding that the topic had been discussed in the Cabinet before the decision was taken.

“People belonging to different professions receive recognition based on their profession. In the same way, the government has decided to give teachers the professional title ‘Tr.’ as a mark of recognition. They can now prefix their names with ‘Tr.’,” he said.

Describing teachers as one of the pillars of society along with soldiers, workers and farmers, Shivakumar said the government had a responsibility to ensure that they received due respect and recognition.

“Society looked upon parents and teachers as two sets of people akin to gods — parents for giving life and teachers for guiding people through life. Serving society through education was equivalent to serving God. This is the reason for the decision to confer the title on teachers,” he said.

Shivakumar also added that the government was planning to provide 7.5 per cent reservation for students of rural government schools. More details on the proposal would be announced in the coming days, he said.