A citizen urges the Supreme Court to act suo motu against exploitation of teachers, citing pay denial, fake colleges, and lack of accountability. The plea calls it a matter of “national interest” and a true tribute to Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan.
New Delhi: In a development timed just before Teachers’ Day, a citizen named Rana Pratap Singh has written a letter to Chief Justice of India (CJI) Bhushan Ramkrishna Gavai. He has requested the Supreme Court to take suo motu action on what he has described as the “systematic exploitation of teachers” and the complete collapse of accountability in private educational institutions across the country.
The letter, sent as a tribute to Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, expresses deep concern about the condition of teachers in India. It notes that teachers were once respected in society almost as much as parents, but today their position has been reduced drastically.
The petitioner writes that they are now
“living in despair, silenced and invisible.”
Calling it more than just an employment issue, the plea says that the matter is of “national interest” because it directly affects the dignity of teachers as well as the future of India’s youth.
The letter highlights that private schools, colleges, and universities are ignoring statutory rules laid down by UGC, AICTE, and CBSE regarding proper pay and service conditions.
According to the petitioner, teachers are being denied minimum salaries, yearly increments, provident fund, gratuity, and even health insurance. Many teachers are therefore being pushed towards financial ruin.
It also points out that most private institutions do not form Governing Bodies as required by law, and even where they exist, they are treated as “rubber stamps.”
The actual control remains with private trusts and societies who run these institutions with no real accountability, keeping teachers and parents away from any decision-making.
The situation in higher education has been described as “deeply disturbing.” The petitioner claims that there is large-scale misuse of public funds meant for student scholarships, fake enrollments where students exist only on paper, and widespread exam malpractices.
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These practices, it is alleged, produce graduates “with degrees but no skills.”
The letter criticizes regulators, especially AICTE, for stopping physical inspections of colleges and instead depending on “self-declarations” by institutions.
According to the petitioner, this has allowed the rise of “paper colleges” that have neither proper infrastructure nor qualified faculty or academic seriousness, yet continue to misuse public money.
He calls this practice “a license for corruption and academic decay” and warns that such unchecked profiteering will destroy the country’s demographic dividend.
The appeal urges the Supreme Court to step in and bring systemic changes. Some of the suggested remedies include:
- “Functional governance: Ensure proper Governing Bodies with representation from regulators, universities, and teachers.”
- “Biometric oversight: Mandate biometric attendance of students and teachers, directly mapped to regulators.”
- “Exam reforms: Extend the Unfair Means in Public Examinations Act to universities with zero tolerance for malpractice.”
- “Exam reforms: Extend the Unfair Means in Public Examinations Act to universities with zero tolerance for malpractice.”
- “Annual academic accountability: Principals must file reports to affiliating universities and regulators.”
- “Independent leadership: Require approval of university or statutory bodies for appointments of Heads of Institutions.”
- “Immediate pay implementation: Enforce UGC/AICTE/CBSE scales with penalties for violations.”
- “Oversight of private universities: UGC inspections for those running technical courses without AICTE approval.”
- “Scholarship audits: Strict audits of state and central scholarship disbursements.”
- “Cognizable offences: Treat flouting statutory norms in education as a criminal offence.”
- “Reinstated inspections: Bring back physical and online inspections, with liability for false declarations.”
The petitioner has deliberately chosen the timing of the appeal to coincide with Teachers’ Day.
He writes,
“As the nation approaches Teachers’ Day, deciding this matter will not only render justice to lakhs of educators but also pay tribute to Dr. Radhakrishnan himself.”
The letter ends on a symbolic note, underlining the importance of judicial intervention. It states, “The guardians of justice must also stand as guardians of India’s classrooms, ensuring that the torch of knowledge is neither dimmed nor dishonored.”
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