‘Don’t drink during school hours’: District education dept in Chhattisgarh’s Jashpur

District education officer Madhulika Tiwari said that she took the decision after coming across several complaints from villagers, public representatives and newspapers regarding the habit

Fed up by the habit of school teachers consuming alcohol during working hours, the education department of tribal-dominated Jashpur district in Chhattisgarh on Thursday instructed the teachers to submit a self-declaration that they will abstain from it when they are at work.

For representational purposes only. (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

The Jashpur district education officer (DEO) issued an official notice regarding the matter, and also instructed block development officers to ensure all teachers and government servants submit the self-declaration certificate by November 24.

“It is often seen that government servants are consuming alcohol while on duty and attending schools and offices which is not only affecting the work but also the environment of the workplace. Inebriated teachers attending schools are also having a negative impact on the students... Multiple instances of inebriated teachers visiting schools and colleges have surfaced from the district recently,” the order stated.

According to officials, there are around 30,000 staff in the district education department.

The DEO order further read, “Under rule 23 of the Chhattisgarh Civil Services Conduct Rules, 1965, all government servants working in offices and schools are instructed not to consume alcohol while on duty.”

“In the last one month alone, five cases were reported in the district, and of which two people were suspended. The teachers and other employees are careless... Many of the women employees also consume liquor and reach school and office, which is a matter of concern for us,” Tiwari said.

In August this year, a photo went viral on social media in which a woman teacher of Jashpur district was seen lying on the floor of her class in an inebriated state.

Earlier in July, Jashpur collector suspended a school teacher after he reached school drunk and beat up students with a cricket bat.