BENGALURU/VIJAYANAGAR: Move over, ‘Dr’ and ‘Prof’. Karnataka’s educators are soon going to get their own official upgrade. In a likely first for the country, state govt is all set to introduce ‘Tr’ as an exclusive title prefix, giving the teaching profession a distinct identity.Announcing the decision on Teachers’ Day while launching Prajaseva programme in Kudligi, Vijayanagar, Saturday, chief minister D K Shivakumar said: “A society that honours its teachers honours its future.” “To every teacher who has guided us, corrected us, encouraged our dreams and believed in us before we believed in ourselves, Karnataka salutes you.”The move puts teachers alongside professions that use prefixes such as ‘Dr’ for doctors and doctorate holders and ‘Prof’ for professors. Prefixes such as ‘Er’ or ‘Engr’ for engineers and ‘Ar’ for architects are also used, though less commonly.Explaining the decision’s significance, the CM said ‘Tr’ was society’s recognition of those who dedicate their lives to shaping others. In a post on X earlier in the day, he said a teacher helps build the individual who goes on to build the nation and therefore deserves an honorary prefix.He said India has over 1 crore teachers, including nearly 4.5 lakh in Karnataka. Highlighting influence teac-hers have across professions, he said: “Every doctor who heals, engineer who builds, farmer who feeds, officer who serves, entrepreneur who creates and leader who guides us has a teacher behind them – someone who first recognised their potential and showed them what was possible.”
