Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah promises to fulfil demands of teachers in phased manner

Bengaluru: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has promised promotions to graduate teachers and implementation of the Old Pension Scheme. “The issue will be placed before Cabinet for further discussion,” he said.

He was speaking at a state-level education convention organised alongside the golden jubilee celebrations of the Karnataka State Government Primary School Teachers’ Association in Bengaluru on Saturday. 

Siddaramaiah said that the demands of the teachers will be met in a phased manner. “Years ago, when I was Finance minister, I appointed one lakh teachers. I implemented the recommendations of a pay commission too. An honest effort will be made to fulfil teachers’ demands,” he said.

Exhorting teachers to conduct themselves admirably, Siddaramaiah added, “A safe and secure society can be built by imparting rational education and instilling scientific temper in children. Prepare children who can shape the future. Teachers must discharge their constitutional duty. Children must be taught to question and to reason.”

Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, meanwhile, assured the teachers of allotting a site for the construction of the building to house the Karnataka State Government Primary Teachers’ Association.

“Teachers cannot be exempted from election duty. They work lawfully. With elections to the local bodies coming up, I request you all to work. We are with you. Your blessings are a must for our government,” said Shivakumar.

The government will utilise funds to the tune of Rs 8,000 to Rs 10,000 crore disbursed by private companies under the CSR initiative to upgrade infrastructure of rural government schools. He called upon private schools to adopt government institutions and appoint teachers. “This will help fill 90,000 vacant teaching posts. We will implement this in the coming days,” Shivakumar added.

Minister for School Education and Literacy Madhu Bangarappa said that he was satisfied with the work he had done as a minister. “We expect the results to be 15% higher this year compared to the previous year. We have also increased the target for enrolment in government schools by 20%, and teachers must work hard to meet this target,” he added.

Delivering a talk at the convention, writer and thinker Baraguru Ramachandrappa said that there should be no “murder” of government schools, nor must they be pushed to “suicide.”

Pointing to apprehensions among stakeholders that establishment of Karnataka Public Schools could potentially lead to the closure of other government schools, he added, “The Minister for School Education has said that not even a single school will be closed. Let us trust him. But others are saying some schools may be closed. Which of these is true? There must be an open discussion for the truth to emerge.”