Chennai: The Director of Primary Education, Naresh, has empowered district education authorities to take action against teachers who fail to attend school or engage in misconduct by appointing substitutes to work in their place.

This issue surfaced when Balaji, a graduate teacher at Ramiyampatti Panchayat Union Middle School in Arur Education District, Dharmapuri, was found to have hired a replacement while staying at home.

Officials discovered this during a school inspection, leading to Balaji's dismissal last week—a decision that sparked widespread concern across Tamil Nadu.

Following this incident, authorities have been instructed to closely monitor teacher attendance across the state.

Director Naresh has mandated that any teacher caught impersonating or using stand-ins during inspections will face disciplinary action from district officials.