Karnataka Allows Teachers, Engineers To Use ‘Tr’ And ‘Er’ Prefixes

This month, Karnataka issued two government orders allowing teachers and engineers to use the prefixes “Tr” and “Er”, respectively, before their names, in a move to formally recognise the contributions of the two professions.

Similar to the use of “Dr” before the names of medical professionals and scholars, the new guidelines allow teachers to use “Tr” and engineers to use “Er” before their names.

Karnataka Allows Teachers To Use ‘Tr’ Prefix Before Names

On September 5, Teacher’s Day, an order was issued allowing teachers to use the prefix “Tr”. On September 15, Engineers’ Day, another order was issued allowing engineers to use the prefix “Er”.

The September 5 order stated that the prefix “Tr” was “not merely just two alphabets, but represented their lifetime of service”.

The Department of School Education and Literacy issued the order stating that “the government has permitted all teachers to include ‘Tr’ as a title in their names”, in recognition of the contribution of educators to society and the wellbeing of students.

Karnataka Allows Engineers To Use ‘Er’ Prefix Before Names

The directive regarding engineers was issued shortly after Chief Minister D K Shivakumar announced that engineers would be permitted to use the prefix “Er”. The announcement was made during Engineers’ Day celebrations marking the birth anniversary of renowned engineer Sir M Visvesvaraya.

The order also highlighted Sir M Visvesvaraya’s contribution during his tenure as the Dewan of the erstwhile Mysore State. It noted his role in the construction of the Krishnaraja Sagar Dam, the installation of automatic floodgates and the development of industries in the region.

Previously, the use of such professional prefixes in Karnataka was largely associated with medical professionals and academic titles.