Less than a month after being appointed as the primary and secondary education minister, Tanveer Sait warned teachers and lecturers against approaching the media to express their grievances. He told them that they would face dire consequences if they do so.

On Thursday, Sait, who was to meet the pre-university lecturers led by Association of Concerned and Informed Citizens of Mysore (ACICM) convener M Lakshman at the government guesthouse, made the lecturers and others wait for nearly two-and-a-half hours. The meeting that was to start at 11 am began only at 1:30 pm.

The Times of India reported that the decisions on transfers, recruitment and other issues will be taken up by him after discussions with association leaders and officials. He urged the teachers to improve quality of teaching.

“Every religion gives importance to teachers. You should develop a good rapport with students for better teaching,” he said, adding,

“There is a misconception that government schools are only for the poor, while aided schools are for the middle class and private schools for the rich. This attitude should go. I've decided to bring more IT into government schools for better education,” he said.

He then asked the lecturers not to approach media.

“Consider it a strict order. Issues will be resolved through discussion. If I cannot resolve certain issues, I'll say so. There will be no hide and seek,” he said.