EDUCATION DEPARTMENT HAS NOT MACHANISM TO CHECK TEACHERS GIVING TUITIONS

PANJIM: For teachers who spend half their day in school and the rest in private tuitions, here comes bad news. The recent Right to Education (RTE) Act has banned teachers from engaging themselves in private teaching activities.

But for them the good news is that the Education Department has no mechanism in place to check if any teacher is involved in private tuitions. Goa is yet to implement the Act in totality even as the draft rules are being framed.

A senior officer from the department said although there’s a ban on private tuitions, it will be practically difficult to implement the ban. “Who will come forward to complain against the teacher engaging in private tuitions?” he questioned adding that the parents themselves send their wards for tuitions.

State Education Director Dr Celsa Pinto was not available for comment despite repeated calls. According to RTE’s Section 28, “no teacher shall engage himself/ herself in private tuition or private teaching activity”. Education Department officials feel that implementation of this clause would be next to impossible without support from parents.

The State already hasn’t been able to do much in this regard even after enactment of the Goa Coaching Classes (Regulation) Act, 2001. “There are instances wherein school authorities themselves give fake affidavits stating their teachers are not involved in private teaching”, a senior official said.

The Act which was enacted had sought to regulate private coaching classes in the State. But the department received lukewarm response for its appeal from the private players in the coaching activity to come and register themselves with the State Government.