Karnataka's new directives allows teachers to use Tr and engineers Er before their names, just as in the traditional practice of placing Dr before the names of medical professionals and scholars. (AI-generated image)In an effort to give formal recognition to teachers and engineers, Karnataka issued two government orders this month allowing professionals in the two sectors to use official prefixes before their names — Tr and Er respectively.Under the new directives, teachers can now use Tr and engineers Er before their names, just as in the traditional practice of placing Dr before the names of medical professionals and scholars.The order on using the ‘Tr’ prefix was issued on Teacher’s Day, September 5, while the corresponding order to use the ‘Er’ prefix for engineers was issued during the Engineers’ Day celebrations on September 15.Also read | National Engineers’ Day 2026: Why is it celebrated on September 15?According to the September 5 order, the prefix Tr “was not merely just two alphabets, but represented their lifetime of service.”Recognising the immense contribution of teachers in the progress of society and welfare of students, “the government has permitted all teachers to include ‘Tr’ as a title in their names,” the order by the Department of School Education and Literacy said.The order regarding engineers was issued shortly after Chief Minister D K Shivakumar made the announcement to allow the ‘Er’ prefix for engineers. The decision was announced during the Engineers’ Day celebrations held in honour of the birth anniversary of Sir M Visvesvaraya.In granting official prefix rights to engineers, the order recalled the contributions of the legendary engineer when he was the 18th Dewan of the erstwhile Mysore kingdom. Sir M Visvesvaraya contributed to the construction of the Krishnaraja Sagar Dam, the installation of automatic flood gates, and other industries in different parts of the kingdom, it noted.Story continues below this adOfficial prefix usage in Karnataka was earlier restricted primarily to medical doctors and professors.