CHENNAI: Government school teachers placing their children in private schools indicates that all is not well in government schools , the Madras high court said on Tuesday, raising aset of 20 queries for authorities to respond to."The very fact that the go vernment teachers are admitting their children in private schools indicates that the standard of teaching should be high in the private schools, which the teachers themselves fail to give to their own students in the government schools. Many of the secondary grade teachers working in government schools are stated to have purchased diplomas in letter pad teacher training institutions which were prohibited by this court," said Justice N Kirubakaran on Tuesday.Expressing concern at the plummeting academic standards in government schools, he posed 20 questions including one on pass percentage in the government schools and in private schools in class 10 over the last decade. The order was passed in response to a petition filed by Pasupathy Aided Middle School, Pandanallur in Thanjavur district , challeng ing the rejection order passed by the school education department secretary for starting English medium sections in their government aided school. The petitioner contended that when similarly placed government schools were permitted to start English medium sections, aided private schools were discriminated against."It is common knowledge that many of the teachers working in the government schools and aided schools, especially in rural areas, are doing side business in the name of their family members, like real estate, finance and share marketing without concentrating on teaching. There have been many instances of teachers being absent and not opening the school itself for days together in rural areas forcing the villagers to make agitation," Kirubakaran said.Though government teachers are paid high salaries and private school teachers get less but work longer hours, the quality and standard of education in government schools is poor. Because of this, many students in Class V or Class VI in rural areas are unable to write and read properly, Kirubakaran said.

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