The Uttar Pradesh government has asked teachers not to befriend their students on social media such as Facebook and WhatsApp to curb harassment of students and promote healthy “ guru-shishya parampara ” (teacher-student tradition).
The new guidelines have been issued by the Department of Secondary Education and sent to all schools, including those affiliated to CBSE and ICSE Boards.
The guidelines, issued by Principal Secretary (Secondary Education) Jitendra Kumar, said the interface between teachers and students on social media should be strictly restricted or, if allowed, should have sanction from “competent authority.” The circular also calls for monitoring of communication between teachers and students over email and mobile phones.
Warning of strict action against teachers not following the guidelines, the circular asks school administration to keep a strict vigil of students using mobile phones and Internet during school hours.
