Good Morning: 2026

Sunday, September 6, 2026

NEWS TODAY 06.09.2026

‘Tr’ for teachers: Window dressing or mark of honour?

SruthySusan.Ullas@timesofindia.com 06.09.2026

Bengaluru: Chief minister DK Shivakumar’s announcement allowing teachers to use ‘Tr’ as a prefix before their names has drawn a mixed response, with teachers’ associations welcoming the move, while education experts called for greater attention to the profession’s status and teachers’ working conditions. Ramya Venkataraman, founder and CEO of the Centre for Teacher Accreditation (CENTA), said, “It is recognition for the profession and contributes towards making teaching aspirational, which all of us want.

At the same time, the devil lies in the detail,” she said. She added that the prefix should ideally be linked to certification of competencies rather than simply to a person’s role as a teacher. “Since NEP 2020 has opened up multiple pathways into the teaching profession, including allowing subject experts to enter through lateral routes, it is important that the prefix is open to these pathways as well, rather than being limited to the traditional route,” she said. Maya Menon, founder-director of Teacher Foundation, viewed it as a positive step towards giving the profession a makeover. “This has been an old tradition in Kerala, where teachers were always addressed by their names along with a suffix. Overall, I think it’s a good idea. The profession needs a deep-clean makeover, and the title is possibly a first step,” she said. However, AS Seetharamu, former faculty member at the Institute for Social and Economic Change, described the move as “lip service and window dressing” for teachers. He said the govt should instead prioritise improving teachers’subject knowledge, digital competence and confidence through greater investment in training.

“Nearly 70% of schools are located in rural areas. Villagers may not understand the meaning, expansion or significance of ‘Tr’, which has an English/British flavour. They understand ‘Guruji’ and ‘Master’, for which there is no need for government publicity,” he said. Seetharamu also called for better remuneration for guest teachers and greater investment in teacher development including teacher training and improving their digital competence. Teacher associations, however, largely welcomed the decision. The Karnataka Government College Teachers’Association said the prefix could also be used by guest teachers. “Any teacher is a teacher,” said Prof Manjunatha TM, president, Karnataka Government College

Teachers’Association (R).

He pointed out that professors already use ‘Prof’ before their names, while teachers with PhDs use ‘Dr’. The Karnataka Associated Managements of Primary and Secondary Schools of Karnataka also welcomed the move. HK Manjunath, honorary president, Karnataka State High School Co-Teachers Association, said the decision would enhance the dignity of the profession. “Giving teachers a short form will not only increase the respect for the teaching profession but will also allow teachers to work more consciously,” he said.

Karnataka salutes teachers with prefix of their own, ‘Tr’

Bengaluru/Vijayanagar: 06.09.2026

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.”

10 days after Nepal flash floods, DNA profiling of missing relatives begins in Thanjavur

Deepak.Karthik@timesofindia.com 06.09.2026

Trichy: Ten days after flash floods in Nepal left several Tamil Nadu tourists untraceable, DNA profiling of their first-degree relatives began at Thanjavur Medical College Hospital on Saturday. In the first phase, family members of 23 missing tourists gave blood samples for profiling. The autosomal STR DNA profiles of the relatives are expected to be shared online with Nepali authorities within 3-5 days for comparison with DNA profiles obtained from unidentified mortal remains of the flood victims.

The profiling is being carried out through the Regional Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) at Pillayarpatti near Thanjavur. A dedicated team at Thanjavur Medical College Hospital is collecting blood samples from relatives between 10am and 4pm. “We have not set any deadlines for the camp. As long as the family members of the missing tourists show up, the camp shall continue,” Dr E Manimekala, dean, Thanjavur Medical College Hospital, told TOI. On the first day, 23 relatives of 23 tourists who have been missing since the August 26 Nepal flash floods gave their samples. The missing tourists hail from Karur, Trichy, Thanjavur, Tiruvarur and Mayiladuthurai districts. Officials said some relatives had enquired about giving samples in the next few days, while others who were unaware of the development were expected to visit the hospital on Sunday.

“A few are reluctant to appear for the DNA profiling, which indirectly acknowledges that their family members could have been killed in the floods. Families still believe that the missing people shall be traced,” an official said. About 85 tourists from Tamil Nadu, who were part of different Kailash Mansarovar tour groups, remain untraceable. At least 16 of them are from Thanjavur district. Collector R Revathi said the Thanjavur district administration was in touch with the families and coordinating with authorities to plan further action.