Jaipur: The education department has begun the process of preparing a list of teachers and staff allegedly involved in tobacco and alcohol consumption and harassment, following education minister Madan Dilawar’s announcement last month that action would be taken against those engaged in such activities.An order issued by the office of the director of elementary education on Monday states that a list is being compiled by the office of the education minister regarding “such personnel within the schools and offices of the education department who engage in any form of addiction (alcohol, tobacco, gutkha, etc.) or have been involved in obscene conduct.”The department has issued a format, where details like name, employee ID, designation, area of posting, type of addiction, and action taken against them will have to be shared.Teachers have raised concerns over how district education officers will compile the list in the absence of formal complaints.Vipin Prakash Sharma, state president of Rajasthan Primary and Secondary Teachers Association, said, “There should be proper guidelines or criteria for identifying such personnel. How will the education officer know if any personnel are involved in such activities outside the school? If any incident takes place within the school, then the principal reports it to higher authorities anyway.”On April 9, while addressing the media in Jaipur, the education minister said that the department will prepare a list of all employees across state govt schools and within the department itself who consume intoxicants, tobacco products, gutka, etc. The minister had not clarified what action will be taken against such personnel once the list is prepared.The state education department has been working to stop the use of tobacco in schools and nearby areas. On March 6, in a meeting with teachers associations from across the state, the minister appealed to teachers to ensure that there is no consumption of tobacco in any form in schools.
