The Bihar Education Department has resolved to take strict measures against government teachers engaging in private tuition. K K Pathak, the Additional Chief Secretary (ACS) of the Education Department, issued a directive to district magistrates, urging them to obtain written assurances from all private coaching centres within their jurisdiction, confirming that no government school teachers will conduct classes in these establishments, according to an official statement.
The letter highlighted the department’s receipt of complaints about government school teachers offering classes in private coaching institutes within their assigned areas. The department emphasised the urgency of addressing this practice promptly. An unnamed senior official from the education department revealed that even with the provided undertakings, any teachers discovered participating in such activities would face severe departmental consequences, the statement mentioned.
Legal actions would also be taken against the implicated private coaching institutes. The department instructed all district education officers to promptly submit details of such teachers to the headquarters. The letter further stressed the importance of ensuring the presence of all teachers in their assigned schools during the Bihar School Examination Board (BSEB) practical and theory exams scheduled to commence on January 10 for both grades 10th and 12th statewide. Officials were advised to limit the grant of leave to teachers during board examinations, ensuring that no more than 10 percent of total teachers posted in a school take leave simultaneously, as per the statement.
Bihar has a total of 12,761 registered private coaching institutes, catering to 9,95,533 students. The capital, Patna, leads with 1,017 centres and 1,51,104 students, followed by Begusarai with 636 institutes serving 60,311 students and Gaya with 623 centres enrolling 44,975 students. Jehanabad has the lowest number of registered coaching institutes at 40, with 6,115 students enrolled, according to a recent report compiled by the education department .
With inputs from PTI.