Education Minister Ratan Lal Nath said, “The High Court banned private tuition by teachers of government, govt-aided and private schools in 2015.” Representational image/ file
In a terse warning to government school teachers engaged in private tuitions, Tripura education minister Ratan Lal Nath today asked them to immediately stop giving tuitions or lose their jobs. Private tuitions, coaching centres alongwith other educational institutions were ordered to be shut down when lockdown was imposed in March this year.
While the government asked teachers to start ‘neighbourhood classes’ with a few students from vicinity and teach them while maintaining social distancing, Nath today said his department has reports that many professional private tutors aren’t following social distancing norms while teaching.
Speaking on his government’s policy on private tuitions, the minister said, “The state government served many notices in the past to restrain private tuitions since 1996. The High Court banned private tuitions by teachers of government, govt-aided and private schools in 2015. We are in favour of the High Court order and don’t intend to allow government teachers to continue giving tuitions. It is objectionable”.
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He added that any government teacher focusing on private tuitions instead of his classes at schools can’t be tolerated and said they should leave their jobs right away. However, private school teachers are allowed to give tuitions, but to students above 14 years of age and those not from the school where they serve.
Any deterrence would be in violation of the Right to Education Act, the minister said. Tripura currently has 4,398 government and government aided schools apart from 335 private schools. Five lakh students study in these schools across the state including nearly a lakh admitted in the private schools.