Teachers, lecturers, and principals from schools and colleges under the Directorate of Minorities in Karnataka have been protesting for over a week, claiming that the department has shown “prejudice” in granting promotions. The Karnataka Minorities Welfare Department Teachers Association has written a letter to the Directorate of Minorities, stating that second division assistants, first division assistants, and wardens appointed in 2016 have been promoted, while senior teachers and lecturers have been waiting for promotion for the past seven years.

The association has accused the department of allowing the promotion of “B” group district officers to “A” group through executive orders without following the Cadre and Recruitment Rules of 2011. The protesting teachers, who boycotted classes and staged a demonstration at Freedom Park, demanded that the seniority of all teachers who have served in the department for around seven years be published. They are also fighting against alleged discrimination in salary promotions based on the 6th Pay Commission of 2013. Additionally, they are seeking promotions for physical trainer teachers, art and craft teachers, and computer science teachers based on merit and the cadre and recruitment rules.

However, director of minorities department Raghavendra T said, “ As a teacher nobody completed a minimum of 10 years of service in the profession, for a promotion. The teachers were recruited only after 2016. Moreover, promotion will be given only based on seniority and not all teachers, lecturers and principals will be eligible for promotion. However, we have still sent a proposal to the finance department to give them promotion as per Cadre and Regulation rules and seniority.” The department after much pressure from the teachers association also released the gradation list for promotion, on Monday.

More than 1,400 teachers from minority schools, including Moraji Desai/APJ Abdul Kalam, Muslim, and Navodaya Residential Schools and Colleges, have been wearing black belts and conducting classes as a symbolic protest since July 14 to draw attention to the delay in promotions and the failure to revise the Cadre and Recruitment Rules. The association claims that these demands were brought to the department’s attention on February 9, and although the department promised to address them, no order has been issued to date, even after five months.

However, on Tuesday, Rangappa C, the state president of the minorities teachers’ association, announced that the teachers have called off the protest following assurances from the department to meet their demands. Rangappa told The Indian Express, “The reason for the indefinite strike on Monday was to bring it to the government’s attention after our efforts with the department failed. However, the department has now released the gradation list of teachers following our protest, which is a positive sign. It is unfair that teachers at Navodaya Model School, who teach from class 6 to 12, are receiving a basic high school salary instead of the pre-university level salary they are entitled to. The department also cited technical lapses as the reason for the promotion delay, which is laughable.”