Teachers say practice has been followed for several years

The Department of Public Instruction (DPI) on Tuesday issued directions to heads of all schools that the caste and the religion of teachers should not be displayed on the school notice board.

The department decided to issue this order after the Karnataka State Minorities Commission, during visits to schools across the State, found that the along with academic and service details of teachers on the notice board, several managements were also listing these details. In the order, the DPI has said the heads of government primary and high schools should only display the name, educational qualification, designation, date of joining the service and other academically relevant information.

According to teachers, the practice of putting up background details along with caste and religion, is not new. It has been followed for several years now and no questions were raised, said teachers.

Another government high school teacher in Bengaluru said, “In fact, when I was serving in rural areas, the parents would approach the teachers of their caste in the school rather than contacting the class teacher for feedback on the children.”

Basavaraj Gurikar, president, Karnataka State Government Primary School Teachers' Association welcomed the move and said that heads of schools should take note of it immediately. “These are unnecessary detail that can create conflicts and feelings of insecurity among teachers. It would also create a divide and affect the administration of the school,” he said.

G.A. Bava, chairman of the commission, said that he complained to the department about a fortnight ago after visiting several schools. “Schools and all educational institutions are supposed to be secular places without any discrimination. Students or the public should not be concerned with the caste and religion about their teachers. In fact this information serves no purpose. Writing about the teachers academic records is acceptable but not this,” he said.