Bhukya Gauthami, a government school teacher in the Khammam district of Telangana, has resigned after being suspended for nearly 6 months for promoting a private school through Instagram reels.
She resigned from the position and sent out a video in which she spoke about the hardships she faced, including workplace challenges, public criticism, and online trolling.
Gauthami was an English School Assistant at Mamillagudem High School. This year, she was suspended by the District Educational Officer (DEO) after officials felt she had neglected her teaching responsibilities by creating and posting Instagram reels promoting admissions to a private educational institution.
According to reports, the education department claimed that Gauthami continued to make social media content during school hours despite receiving multiple warnings.
In January, after an internal investigation, Khammam District Educational Officer Chaitanya Jaini ordered her suspension.
Gauthami had been the target of sharp social media criticism at the time. She’d asked her online followers to stop trolling her and to avoid spreading false news about her.
In a video shared on Sunday, Gauthami was emotional as she explained why she left government service. She told the camera she belonged to a tribal community and had overcome severe financial hardships to obtain a government teaching job.
She credited her father and husband for helping her in her educational journey and helping her achieve her dream of being a teacher. She came into the profession, according to Gauthami, to teach children from economically weaker backgrounds and worked 12 years in education.
"I worked in this system with dedication for 12 years. I became a teacher because I wanted to educate underprivileged children. Despite humiliation and pressure, I continued to fight," she said in the video.
Gauthami admitted that she had created Instagram reels without knowing the consequences they might have on her career. But she also said the treatment she received from education department officials worsened her emotional distress.
She claimed that after she approached the DEO and asked for a reappointment, she was forced to wait for a day without being granted an appointment. When she was finally allowed to meet the official, she said she was harshly reprimanded.
Gauthami also said in her video that hardworking teachers were often ignored while some individuals who neglected classroom duties or engaged in office politics continued to remain in the system without facing similar scrutiny.
"The hostility and conspiracies of colleagues, along with social media trolling, affected me deeply. I am now exhausted and have decided to resign," she said.
Her resignation has fueled new discussions online about the use of social media by government workers, workplace accountability, mental health, and the effects of online harassment.
Education bodies did not respond to her video’s accusations publicly, but the issue has remained a topic of debate on social media.
