Teaching tuition is a legal offence! Calcutta HC orders action against government teacher

The Calcutta High Court said that private tuition of teachers of state government and government-aided schools is not acceptable at all. The court ordered the board and concerned school authorities to take action against the school teachers involved in private tuition for violating the rules of the Board of Secondary Education.

A bench of Acting Chief Justice TS Sivaganam and Justice Hiranmay Bhattacharya of the Calcutta High Court on Friday ordered that the court will take action against the concerned school authority if action is not taken.

The Chief Justice's bench gave this order in a PIL filed by the Private Teachers Welfare Association. Let it be known that the High Court had earlier ordered that the private tuition of teachers of government and government-aided schools is illegal.

On Friday, the court once again practically repeated the old order. On this day, lawyer Ekramul Bari on behalf of the Private Tutor Welfare Association told the court that according to the rules issued by the Board of Secondary Education in 2018, private tuition of teachers and non-teaching staff working in schools under the board is completely prohibited.

The lawyer said that but in fact the teachers of some schools are forcing students to take private tuition by threatening to get low marks in the examination. Even many are taught in various private institutions. It is a legal offence.”

Government school teachers appreciated the High Court's order

Referring to the court order, Jadavpur Vidyapeeth Principal Parthapratim Vaidya said, “The code of conduct for school teachers clearly says that tuition cannot be done. This is a wake-up call.” Bethune Collegiate School principal Shabari Bhattacharya agrees.

He said, “Ethically, I think that school teachers should not give tuition. A school teacher's first effort will be to prepare the children of the school he is teaching.” He said, "Personally, I do not morally support giving tuition to teachers. At least until he is on the job. However, girls in my school can study under someone who is not a school teacher, whom I cannot call a teacher.”