The Bihar Education Department is set to take strict action against government teachers engaged in providing private tuition. Education Department Additional Chief Secretary (ACS) K K Pathak issued a letter to district magistrates, urging them to obtain written undertakings from private coaching centres, ensuring that no government school teachers conduct classes on their premises.
Consequences for violators
Expressing concern over complaints received, Pathak emphasized the need to address the issue promptly. An anonymous senior official from the education department highlighted that even after providing undertakings, teachers found violating the directive would face severe departmental consequences. Additionally, legal action would be initiated against the private coaching institutes involved.
With the Bihar School Examination Board (BSEB) practical and theory exams scheduled from January 10 for classes 10 and 12, the education department stressed the importance of teachers' presence in schools. The directive advised officials to limit teacher leave during board exams to not exceed 10 percent of the total staff in a school.
A recent report from the education department revealed a total of 12,761 registered private coaching institutes in the state, catering to 9,95,533 students. Patna, the state capital, leads with 1,017 centers and 1,51,104 students, followed by Begusarai and Gaya. However, Jehanabad has the lowest number of registered coaching institutes, with only 40 and 6,115 students enrolled.
Despite attempts to seek comments on the matter, Education Minister Chandra Shekhar remained unavailable. The state education department, committed to fostering diligence, has implemented measures like regular school inspections and salary deductions for absentee teachers since July 1 last year.
(Inputs from PTI)
