Government primary and high school teachers’ associations have contributed a day of their salaries to schools affected by floods. Primary school teachers collected Rs 30 crore and secondary school teachers collected Rs 20 crore. “The Rs 30 crore will be used to restore buildings and to provide new notebooks. The Rs 20 crore will be for the flood victims,” said minister of primary and secondary education Suresh Kumar.
Meanwhile, addressing the issue of compulsory transfers, Suresh said that the word ‘compulsory’ was wrong, and will be removed when amending the Teachers Transfer Act. “After much deliberation with MLA Devegowda and MLC Puttanna, a committee will soon be formed to resolve the transfer issue,” he added.
CM BS Yediyurappa urged teachers to aid the department in solving the issue. “Teachers working in rural areas have a duty not just to teach in schools but also to guide and encourage the local community,” he added.MLC Puttanna accused the department of wallowing in corruption, with officials refusing to pick up his calls. He called on teachers to create a corruption-free education department.
As many as 42 teachers from primary, high school and pre-university schools from all districts, were felicitated with a plaque and a cash prize of Rs 10,000 each. Two schools - Government lower primary school, Kundgol, and Government High School, Hillur, were given a cash prize of Rs 2.5 lakh for being the best functioning schools in the state.
