Over a month after the students of a government school in Thiruvallur district of Tamil Nadu protested the transfer of their English teacher G Bhagawan, district authorities are yet to put into force their order to move him to a different school. Scenes from June 21, when sobbing students held on to the young man begging him not to leave, had moved the entire country and temporarily stalled his transfer.
But talking to TNM the teacher says that heartbreak for the students is inevitable as he is likely to move to his post at a school near Tiruttani after the quarterly exams in September.
Bhagawan was appointed as a graduate teacher at the Government High School in Veliagaram in 2014. He taught English to students from class 6 to class 10. He had participated in the teachers’ transfer counselling that was held from June 12 to June 21 and chose Arungulam near Tiruttani as his preferred location. He was a surplus staff member in the current school and they wanted to move him to a school that required teaching staff.
“I have been trying to explain to my students that I need to leave and go help students of another school now,” says Bhagawan. “They are too young to understand. For them, the idea of me leaving is painful. Whenever they see a news story on the transfer they come and ask me worriedly if I have to go but I assure them that I will be here for a while. I am planning to leave after their exams in September,” he adds.
While the district administration has not gotten in touch with him yet, Bhagawan says his salary now is coming from the Arungulam school.
Recalling the emotional encounter with his students, he says, “I broke down watching them crying and clutching my foot. But the children have to understand the situation.”
The district education department had earlier told TNM that cancelling Bhagawan’s transfer would set a bad precedent and would allow for such demands to be made by teachers from all schools.
Bhagawan’s bond with his students received high praise from across the country, with actors, musicians and politicians all praising his approach to his profession.
The teacher had then told TNM, “I have tried my best to interact with students beyond just academics. I used to narrate stories, understand their family background, talk to them about their future, and show them things via the projector. These projector sessions, in particular, were very enthralling for them. They felt like they were sitting in a cinema hall. It’s probably because of all these new things I tried to do that we developed a real bond. More than a teacher, I’m a friend, a brother to them.”