Teachers of Madhyamik schools will be barred from evaluating answer scripts or engaging in any other activity while on invigilation duty, a circular issued by the state secondary board on Tuesday said.

The circular asks the heads of schools to maintain the “sanctity of examinations”. “In order to ensure that the sanctity of the examinations is maintained, the teaching staff of the school, under no circumstances, engage themselves in script assessing or any other activities during the course of invigilation,” it read.

The West Bengal Board of Secondary Education, which conducts Madhyamik, carried out a series of inspections during examinations and found teachers on invigilation duty engaged in evaluation or other work in the examination hall.

Teachers are supposed to do evaluation work during free periods in school or at home, a source in the board said.

“Teachers on invigilation duty were found assessing answer scripts of students. In some schools, they were busy talking on mobile phones. Such activities are strictly prohibited,” the source said.

The code of conduct for school teachers drawn up by the state government lists several dos and don’ts.

The teachers have been reminded to refrain from using mobile phones in classrooms and laboratories.

If mobile phones are required to explain something to students, the teachers will have to take permission from the head of the institution.

Every teacher and non-teaching employee must be present on important occasions. The heads of institutions have been asked to maintain a separate attendance register for such events.