Thiruvananthapuram: In an unusual decision, Kerala’s Director for General Education has imposed a fine of Rs 3000 on a teacher who was engaged in the duty of invigilator at a plus-one (class 11) exam after a student entered a wrong register number in the answer sheet.
The teacher belongs to the Alappuzha district. Earlier, the teacher was served with a notice to explain why she had failed to ensure that the register number was correct. In her reply, the teacher said that her lapse was unintentional and that it would not be repeated.
However, the director said in the order that the teacher had committed a grave mistake as her lapse had led to a delay in the announcement of the student’s result and imposed the fine. The order also said the fine should be submitted in the treasury and the challan sent to the director’s office, along with a copy of the entry in her service book recording the disciplinary action. The order added that the action was based on the exam manual.
Meanwhile, the general secretary of the teachers’ association AHSTA S Manoj criticized the director’s order. “It is unjust to impose fines on teachers for minor errors. The order should be withdrawn,” he said.