Kerala government warns against government school teachers working in private tuition centers

The Left government took the decision in this regard to restrict such activities as part of efforts to further strengthen the general education sector in the state.

State General Education Minister V. Sivankutty on Tuesday warned of strict action against government school teachers if they work in private education centers.

He said it is against the rules and norms for government employees to hold parallel jobs while holding government posts. “Government school teachers should not work in private tuition centers,” Sivankutty said in a statement.

The State Vigilance Department and the vigilance wing of the General Education Department will closely monitor the matter, he added.

Action will be taken against those found guilty, the minister said and asked Parent Teacher Associations (PTAs) of schools to report to the ministry if government teachers are working in private tuition centers.

Sivankutty emphasized that the state’s general education sector has flourished with the support of society and must continue to do so.

A senior official of the General Education Department said action would be taken against erring teachers, based on the rules and norms of the Kerala Education Rules (KER) and the Right to Education Act.

“It is not possible to initiate criminal proceedings against teachers of government and aided schools, even if they work in private education centers. But we can take departmental action against them, like reduction of increase for violation of service rules,” he told PTI.

He said this was an existing practice and the department had already taken action against erring teachers based on the information received.

“There are practical limits so that we can monitor every private education center and know whether teachers from government or aided schools are working there in parallel. But the vigilance wing of the police maintains strict vigil against such actions , because they are considered part of corruption,” the officer added.

Meanwhile, Sivankutty assured that a thorough investigation was underway regarding the recent question leak for the Class 11 Christmas exams.

Parts of the exam paper were found on a YouTube channel and strict action was taken in response, he said. Sivankutty also assured that there would be no mistakes in the conduct of the exams. He added that the current problems would be resolved and the process would move forward.

The Kerala General Education Department on Monday formed a six-member committee to probe the leak of question papers for Class 11 Christmas exams. | PTI