शिक्षकों के कर्तव्य
Duties of Teachers
Section 24 of the RTE Act lists the duties of a teacher, and Sections 27 and 28 protect teaching time by limiting other work. Together they define what a teacher is legally required to do, and CTET tests these as direct questions.
Section 24: what a teacher must do
- Maintain regularity and punctuality in attending school.
- Conduct and complete the curriculum in accordance with Section 29.
- Complete the entire curriculum within the specified time.
- Assess the learning ability of each child and supplement additional instruction where required.
- Hold regular meetings with parents and guardians and inform them about the child's attendance, ability, progress and any other relevant information.
- Perform such other duties as may be prescribed.
Two duties in this list are commonly missed by candidates: assessing each child individually and providing additional instruction, and holding regular parent meetings. Both appear as answer options.
Sections 27 and 28: what a teacher must not be asked to do
| Section | Provision |
|---|---|
| 27 | No teacher shall be deployed for non-educational purposes |
| 27 proviso | Except decennial population census, disaster relief duties, and duties relating to elections to local authority, state legislature or Parliament |
| 28 | No teacher shall engage in private tuition or private teaching activity |
The list of permitted non-teaching duties is exactly three, and CTET asks it as a direct question. Anything else — a survey ordered by a district office, a government programme, a political event — is outside the law.
Grievance and accountability
A teacher who breaches these duties is liable to disciplinary action under the service rules applicable to him, though the Act requires that a reasonable opportunity of being heard be given. Section 31 makes the National and State Commissions for Protection of Child Rights responsible for monitoring the child's right under the Act.
✗ A teacher can be put on any government survey duty. | ✓ Only census, disaster relief and election duty are permitted under Section 27.
✗ Private tuition after school hours is allowed if it is outside the school. | ✓ Section 28 bars a teacher from private tuition or private teaching activity.
संकेत: धारा 24 = शिक्षक के कर्तव्य; धारा 27 = केवल जनगणना, आपदा राहत और चुनाव कार्य; धारा 28 = निजी ट्यूशन पर रोक।
One question per paper comes from this pair of sections, and it is usually the non-teaching duties item. Memorise the three permitted duties as a set — census, disaster relief, elections — because the options add a fourth plausible one such as a pulse polio campaign or a household survey. The second common item asks which of four listed activities is a duty under Section 24; parent meetings and individual assessment with additional instruction are the ones candidates forget.
Frequently asked questions
What are the duties of a teacher under the RTE Act?
Regular and punctual attendance, completing the prescribed curriculum in time, assessing each child's learning and giving additional instruction where needed, holding regular meetings with parents about the child's progress, and other prescribed duties.
For which non-teaching duties can a teacher be deployed?
Only three: the decennial population census, disaster relief duties, and duties connected with elections to a local authority, a state legislature or Parliament. All other non-educational deployment is prohibited.
Can a government teacher take private tuition?
No. Section 28 of the RTE Act prohibits any teacher from engaging in private tuition or private teaching activity, in order to protect teaching time and prevent a conflict of interest with classroom duty.
60-second recap
- Section 24 lists teacher duties: punctuality, curriculum, assessment, parent meetings.
- Individual assessment with additional instruction is a legal duty, not a favour.
- Section 27 permits only census, disaster relief and election duty.
- Section 28 bars private tuition by teachers.
- NCPCR and SCPCR monitor children's rights under Section 31.