AGARTALA, October 25 (TIWN): In the recent days, the relation between the teachers and students has almost turned into a business like relation. A section of guardians alleged that, if our children are not going for private tuition to the school teachers the teachers are not giving good marks in the examination.

We are bound to send our children for private tuition, the guardians mentioned.

Recently, in a review meeting Chief Minister Sarkar warned the college and School teachers to avoid private tuition by directing the secretary of concerned department to issue a circular. The state government will take action against those teachers who are involved in private tuition, Sarkar told in the review meeting. 

 It is to be mentioned here that earlier, the state government has issued the third formal circular over the past seven years directing teachers in government-run and government-aided schools to stop private tuition. The circular was issued after the release of a report compiled by a Delhi-based NGO, Society for Education. The report titled, Annual Status of Education, has pointed out that Tripura has the highest rate of private tuition in the country.

According to the report, altogether 77.3 per cent of students from Classes IV to VIII take private tuition from school teachers and in urban and semi-urban areas, the rate goes up to almost 98 per cent. The circular was issued because of the court order passed in 2003, which put a ban on private tuition by teachers in government-run and government-aided schools, a highly placed source in the school education department said.

 The source further said that, I do not wish to name individual teachers at this stage but one mathematics teacher alone gives tuition to at least 130 students while another chemistry teacher gives tuition to more than 110 students. If the teachers do not stop giving private tuition, action would be taken against them, he source added.

On the other hand a section of teachers of CPIM-affiliated Tripura Teachers Association and Tripura Government Teachers Association said that, no teacher compels students to come to them for tuition. It is the students and their guardians who insist good teachers to teach privately. This is bound to happen in our education system where working days in school are limited and there is also a dearth of quality teachers.