Govt orders teachers to disclose assets, rescinds order after backlash

Hyderabad: Hours after the director of school education passed an order making it mandatory for all teachers in Telangana to annually declare their assets, education minister Sabitha Indra Reddy immediately suspended the order after teachers and the Opposition went on the offensive.

The order also asked teachers to disclose their plans of selling or buying properties. The order, dated June 8, was issued on Saturday and circulated widely.

Government school teachers claimed they were being targeted by the state government. While some said that the order was aimed at destroying their reputation, others called it a ploy to coerce them into giving up on pending demands of transfers, promotions and payment of salaries.

A headmaster of a city school said, “From where will a teacher earn additional money? This is simply targeting teachers to shut our mouths. As it is, there are no proper facilities provided by the government in the schools, yet we are handling it for the sake of students as their futures depend on us. What about other departments? Why are they not targeted this way?”

Meanwhile, opposition party leaders, including Bandi Sanjay Kumar, Dr K. Laxman and Raja Singh of the BJP, and Komatireddy Venkat Reddy of the Congress, castigated the government over the orders.

The leaders accused the government of targeting the teachers in a bid to shut them from raising legitimate issues not being looked into by the government.