Students in Karnataka's Belagavi school boycott classes over teacher's transfer

The teacher had applied to a different school under general transfer within the taluk to be near his ageing parents.

For the second consecutive day on Tuesday, 119 students of Sangal Government High School in Ramdurg taluk, Belagavi have been boycotting classes demanding the state government revoke their favourite Kannada teacher’s request transfer.

The students are not willing to let go of teacher Shivappa Avaradi, who after four years of serving at the school had applied under general transfer to Obalapura Government High School, within the taluk, so that he could be near his ageing parents.

On Monday, the students along with their parents and villagers staged a hunger strike after locking the school doors. They are adamant that they would not attend classes unless the government revokes the transfer order. However, officials in the education department say that the transfer order can not be withdrawn as the entire process is online and officials' intervention is impossible.

Ramdurga Block Education Officer N Y Kundargi said Shivappa had sought the transfer and attended the counselling on his own will. “As the entire transferring process is online, neither the BEO nor the Deputy Director of Public Instructions can intervene and withdraw the orders now. We have been convincing the students that Shivappa will be deputed to their school for three days a week. However, they are not willing to listen,” he said.

Along with Shivappa, the school has seven teachers and a guest teacher for Hindi. Obalapura Government High School has a Kannada teacher post vacant. “As per the system now, the post at Obalapura is filled and the school can not get a replacement or guest teacher for Kannada,” said the BEO and added that the only solution is getting permission from DDPI and deputing Shivappa at both the schools.

Shivappa on Tuesday wrote a letter to BEO requesting to cancel the transfer orders and also agreed to work as a Kannada teacher at both schools on deputation if the government approves. The two schools are 30 km apart.

“It has been 13 years since I left my home village. I wanted to work at a school which is near to my home village so that I could help my parents. After looking at the love being showered by the students here, I have requested to cancel the transfer orders,” said Shivappa.

Siddappa Kuarki, a parent of a student at the school, said none of the students are willing to let go of the teacher as he is good at teaching. “Students will not attend the classes till the government withdraws the orders. The students are not willing to let go any of the seven teachers at the school,” he said.

While BEO succumbed to the pressure of students and agreed for deputing the teacher at the old school, he also warned that this could set a bad precedence for future transfers.

Photo: Students of Sangal Government High School in Ramdurg taluk stage a protest in front of the school on Monday. Dh photo