Teachers asked not to speak to media

CHENNAI: Coming under fire for various issues ranging from shortage of teachers to absence of even basic facilities, the School Education Department seems to have found a way to address it: put a gag on teachers of government and aided schools to prevent them from speaking to the media.

In a recent meeting with district Chief Education Officers (CEOs), the School Education Department has rolled out a list of directions for schools to follow.

The circular from the CEO of one of the northern districts directed teachers not to speak to the media about facilities in schools such as drinking water, toilets, shortage of teachers, students count and vacancies of teachers without the permission of the respective District Education Officers (DEOs) and CEOs.

Besides this gag order, the circular also contains a detailed list of dos and don’ts for teachers. Under this, teachers have been mandated to come to school an hour before the classes commence. The circular also warned teachers against talking on mobile phones while they are inside the classroom. If any teacher is found doing so, disciplinary action would follow, the missive warned.

Teachers have also been directed not to conduct sessions outside classrooms or under the trees due to lack of classroom space or other reasons. Also, they should not send students outside school premises for personal reasons.

Another important instruction is to report any unusual incident occurring in the school to the department. This includes incidents like brawl among students, conflict among faculties, sexual violence and even road accidents.

The school headmasters should personally check the midday meal before providing it to students. The circular also directed teachers to ensure students participate in extra-curricular activities, while headmasters have been asked to pay special attention to make sure students took part in all sports competitions held at block and district levels.