Gopeesingh says teachers cannot charge fees for extra lessons on school property

Education Minister Dr Tim Gopeesingh confirmed on Tuesday that teachers must not receive fees for providing private lessons for students on school property.

Gopeesingh said his ministry has repeatedly advised school officials to enforce that rule.

"There have been a number of memos that have been sent from the ministry over a period of time, sometimes repetitively, that no private lessons should be held during school time and on schools' compounds for fees," the minister said.

"They ought not to use the school's compound for private lessons whatsoever."

Gopeesingh's comments were made in response to the incident on Monday at the Dayanand Memorial Vedic Primary School at Penal, where teachers and pupils were locked out on the instructions of a member of the board of the Arya Pratindhi Sabha (APS), which oversees the school.

The board locked out teachers and students, saying the teachers were using the school to provide extra lessons for a fee.

Gopeesingh said there have been other similar instances. "When they are brought to our attention the Chief Education Officer and the Permanent Secretary and the administrative aspects of the Ministry of Education deal with it," he said.

Balram Ramdial, Secretary of the board of the APS board intervened on Monday to stop classes at the Dayanand Memorial Vedic School in Penal, claiming that it was a violation of the rules since the teachers were charging a fee for the service.

However, the Rory Bharath, the president of the school's Parent-Teachers Association has appealed to the board to revoke Ramdial's decision based on a petitition signed by 35 parents. The PTA is insisting that teachers are not charging a fee to offer the private lessons.

Ramdial's position is that the practice of using school property for profit not only violates government policy but also puts at a disadvantage children whose parents cannot afford the fees.

Ramdial told the Express newspaper other schools under the jurisdiction of his board offer free lessons to children. He said this is happening at Rio Claro Vedic Memorial School and Gandhi Memorial Vedic School. He added that the service will extend to the St Clement's Vedic Memorial School, starting next week.