Faculty at government degree colleges must now disclose details—some personal—before they can travel abroad. A circular issued by the Karnataka Department of Collegiate Education makes it mandatory for them to obtain permission three months prior to a foreign trip. They will have to submit details of their assets and liabilities for three years, where they will stay and how much they plan to spend. Principals must also certify that those going abroad face no inquiries, and their absence will not inconvenience students. “We get leave letters late, and can’t send files back. To avoid last-minute confusion, we have introduced the three-month rule,” a department official told The Sunday Standard. The teaching fraternity is upset. “Applying early for permission is acceptable, but the circular makes many irrelevant demands,” said a professor from RC College, a government college in Bengaluru. “Why does the department want to know about our trip expenses and itinerary?” asked a senior professor. “It is meaningless.”