Private tuition by teacher is a crime

Sandesh Prabhudesai
14 February 2001  

Close on the heels of Maharashtra, Goa has also decided to streamline coaching classes while debarring any teacher of government or aided school to conduct private tuitions.

A comprehensive legislation in this regard would be introduced in the forthcoming Assembly session, beginning next month.

Chief minister Manohar Parrikar said the cabinet had approved the decision while also working out necessary details. It includes tuitions from kindergarten level to post-graduation.

The legislation had become necessary as many teachers were running private tuitions as a side business. Students were compelled to join the private classes as these teachers were deliberately not teaching everything in the schools or colleges.

In fact chief minister himself had become victim of this 'open secret' system last year when his son had come complaining that one of his teacher had told him to join his private tuition class to learn all the chapters.

"The legislation would make provision for punitive action against such teachers including fine, punishment and even imprisonment while considering it as a cognisable offence", said Parrikar.

Goa, having second highest literacy rate of 75 per cent, has an equally impressive education chart. The 15-lakh strong state has over 2250 institutions from primary to college with an annual enrolment figure touching three lakh, which is 20 per cent.

Though sending children for private tuitions has also become a status symbol here, the government has now decided to get the coaching classes registered with the education department. Parrikar also plans to get it inspected every six months through local NGOs rather than sending departmental staff.

On the other hand, the cabinet has also reduced retirement age of teachers to 58, due to which almost 600 teachers would be due for retirement this year itself. He has also decided to implement part B of the fifth pay commission, which deals with various schemes for the teaching community.

Though this implementation would cost Rs six crore annually in addition to 18 per cent of the state budget spent on education, the government has decided not to fill the vacant posts but reduce the surplus manpower being created.

Parrikar has also announced Assured Career Programme Scheme, which would help teachers getting higher scale after 12 years if they are not promoted. The balancing act of banning private tuitions while announcing sops may produce results in terms of improving the educational standard, which is deteriorating fast.

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