The school education department has written to the heads of the government and aided schools, pointing out that the teachers of their institutions should not engage in private tuition.
The circular was issued on September 23 after a forum, Private Tutors’ Welfare Association, moved Calcutta High Court alleging that some government and aided school teachers are engaging in private tuition harming their interests.
The circular signed by the commissioner of school education, says: “A copy of the writ petition as stated in reference has been received by this directorate where there are allegations regarding private tuition of teachers in Govt. schools”.
“Now this is to remind you that private tuition is not allowed by a teacher serving in a government school.....in terms of Section 28 of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act,2009. In the said Act, it is clearly stated that ‘no teacher shall engage himself/herself in private tuition or private teaching activity,” it said.
Section 28 of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009 prohibits teachers from engaging in private tuition or teaching activities.
The purpose of the section is to ensure that teachers focus on providing quality education within the formal schooling system.
The school heads have been asked to take action which they may deem fit against the errant teachers.
The heads of several schools said the department has attached a list of the errant teachers along with the circular.
Krishanangshu Mishra, the All Bengal Headmasters’ Association general secretary said: “We have received the circular and will respond as directed.”
The department has also asked the heads of the institutions to take declarations from the individual teachers stating they did not engage in private tuition and send the same to the department.
Ekramul Bari, the lawyer who represented the Private Tutors’ Welfare Association said, many deserving youths now make a living by private tuition because they have not got jobs following a freeze on recruitment of school teachers owing to complaints of irregularities in appointment.
In an industry-starved state, the appointment of school teachers constitutes the mainstay of recruitment.
“Their interest gets hampered when the teachers of the government schools engage in private tuition. Besides, when the teachers get a decent salary why they will engage in private tuition? Besides, engaging in private tuition by the teachers of the government schools violates Section 28 of The RTE Act,” he said.
Swapan Mandal, general secretary of the Bengal Teachers’ and Employees’ Association, said many qualified youths have been earning their livings as the state government has not been able to appoint teachers at the primary (Classes I to V), secondary and higher secondary level following a barrage of litigations against the alleged irregularities in the appointment process.
The appointment process will only resume at the upper primary level (from Classes VI to VIII) in early October, for the job aspirants who had written a state-level selection test in 2015, that too, after the Calcutta High Court approved the recruitment drive last month.
Bari said the commissioner of school education through the September 23 circular is carrying out what a division bench of the Calcutta High Court directed the department in May this year.
The division bench headed by the chief justice said in a written order on May 15: “....there will be a direction on the Commissioner of School Education to issue necessary directives to the West Bengal Board of Secondary Education as well as the District Inspector of Schools as to how best they can implement the declarations filed by the teachers and to prevent them from engaging themselves in any sort of private tuition for personal gain”.
