KARACHI, July 27: The Sindh government is considering measures to prevent government school and college teachers from joining coaching centres, it was learnt officially.

Sources in the Sindh education department said in view of the concerns raised at the higher level in the government, a summary has been forwarded to the Sindh governor, proposing imposition of ban on coaching centres run by in-service college and school teachers.

The department is highly critical of government teachers’ involvement in coaching business and it has been suggested in the summary to impose a ban on such coaching centres, which are being run by the in-service teachers of schools and colleges or where teachers are engaged as tutors.

The department, which is already in a position to take action against teachers under the government’s E&D rules, has proposed that the teachers be warned to abandon the practice, otherwise action will be taken against them.

The education department is of the view that government school and college teachers have been pursuing careers in coaching/tuition centres and the practice has led to an intentional deviation of their interest, attention and concentration from a safe, routine government job with a fixed salary to a more money-making tuition attraction.

Due to the teachers’ joining of the coaching centres, students have been badly suffering as on one hand they are deprived of proper education at colleges/ schools, while on the other they have to pay a big amount to their tutors in addition to regular college or school fees.

It was further stated that the most precious loss was that of time as students first of all have to attend colleges or schools to meet the attendance requirement and then would run after different tutors at tuition centres for each particular subject.

“The alarming aspect is that the system has so much tuned with this peculiar, unjust practice that no measures have ever been taken to curb it,” said the education department’s summary sent to the governor some two weeks back.

While suggesting a ban on all such coaching and tuition centres run by in-service teachers, the education department also proposed that private persons running such centres might be given one month to get themselves registered with the concerned department and pay taxes.

An official in the department on Saturday said the summary was under consideration and any decision on the issue was likely to be taken within a week.