Facing strong opposition from graduates’ and teachers’ constituency legislators, the Karnataka government on Monday pledged to withdraw a contentious circular ordering salary and perk cuts for teachers in aided institutions with SSLC pass rates below 60%.
The directive, issued to district deputy directors of public instruction (DDPIs), faced cross-party criticism. BJP MLC S V Sankanur called the rule “unscientific” and questioned the logic of the 60% benchmark. “If students are promoted until Class 9 without exams, expecting top results in Class 10 is unreasonable. Teachers cannot be singled out when state policies contribute to poor performance,” he argued.
School Education and Literacy Minister Madhu Bangarappa clarified that the circular stemmed from a 2019 decision by the previous government. He assured the legislative council no disciplinary action would be taken against teachers for low pass rates and confirmed the circular would be withdrawn. Recruitment for vacant teacher posts, he added, will proceed after finalising the internal reservation framework.
Addressing infrastructure issues, Bangarappa announced a budget increase for school toilet maintenance — from 10% to 30% — and said external agencies would be engaged to ensure upkeep, preventing students from having to clean facilities.
The government also revealed that 2,501 government composite PU colleges lack water connections, with Chamarajanagar (233), Bengaluru North (175), and Bengaluru South (173) worst affected.