BHUBANESWAR: In a bid to curb the growing practice of private tuition by school teachers by neglecting classroom teaching, the state government has ordered an inquiry into such allegations.

The move follows a complaint received by the Chief Minister’s Office, after which the School and Mass Education department has directed the director of elementary education to examine the allegations and take action in accordance with the rules. The director has instructed all district education officers (DEOs) and block education officers (BEOs) to probe the issue at their respective levels and submit their reports.

The complaint was filed by a group of people from Jagatsinghpur district alleging rampant private tuition by government teachers, particularly in the coastal districts. They claimed that the practice has severely affected classroom teaching in schools and made students dependent on coaching classes. Such practice has also imposed heavy financial burden on parents, especially those from economically weaker sections.

It was also cited that around 56 per cent of students in rural areas and 64 per cent in urban areas depend on private tuition, which has gained prominence due to the declining quality of classroom teaching in schools.

In 2017, the School and Mass Education department had issued directions to DEOs to take action against government teachers involved in private tutorials, following allegations that some teachers were compelling students to enrol in coaching classes run by them.

A similar directive was recently issued in Puri district, where headmasters of government schools were asked to verify whether teachers engaged in private tuition and initiate action, under the Odisha Civil Services (Classification, Control and Appeal) Rules, 1962, against the erring ones.