Of Teachers and Tuition

On Tuesday, the Madras High Court ruled that school teachers doing business or trade, or taking tuition, even after school hours is misconduct, and directed the Tamil Nadu government to create a helpline and display it prominently in schools to help parents and children file complaints on such matters as well as on sexual harassment issues. The court said once a complaint is received, the government must take action in 24 hours. Lamenting the growing indiscipline in government schools, especially among teachers, Justice SM Subramaniam said teachers have been filing unnecessary writ petitions without realizing that they are duty-bound to serve the public. As he observed, “These teachers are receiving huge amount as remuneration from parents. It is most unfortunate to state that these teachers are soliciting students to join tuition classes at their home or in the place organized by such teachers. Students, after school hours, are sometimes forced to attend tuition. Taking of tuition after school hours is also a misconduct. Public servants must show devotion to their duty. The profession of teaching is a noble one, teachers both inside the schools and as well as outside the schools are bound to maintain honesty, integrity and clean life.” There is also an observation on teachers resorting to agitations and dharnas on the eve of public examinations to “threaten the State government” as well as the public. The court said such activities of teachers should be viewed seriously and constant actions are to be taken by the competent authorities. The court also said decent salary is being paid to these teachers by the government from the taxpayers’ money, adding that they have a high moral duty towards the society.

The malaise stems from human greed. True, human wants are unlimited, as Adam Smith of The Wealth of Nations fame said in his classic, but this avarice in a profession whose chief function is to help create a quality human resource must not come in the way of that great responsibility to create a future generation of values and prosperity. Most of the students in government schools are from the lower economic strata of society – those who cannot afford the staggering fees charged by private schools. When such guardians are forced to cough up their hard-earned money to fill the coffers of such teachers who are already well-paid, and who also enjoy other privileges as provided by the government concerned, it amounts to violating a cardinal principle of ethics – paying far less attention to what one is paid for from the public exchequer just because private tuition is adding to one’s bank balance and thus a better comfort zone. This is misconduct. Where do such teachers in the Northeast stand?