Jajpur: Six long years after the filing of a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) in Orissa High Court praying to trace the ‘fake’ teachers in the state and take action against them, probe into the matter and action against the lot by the state government have been quite disappointing. Meanwhile, the high court has issued a show-cause notice to the Directorate of Elementary Education (DEE) owing to the inordinate delay. Accordingly, the director of DEE has asked all the District Education Officers (DEOs) to identify all the fake teachers in their respective districts by June 15 and file compliance reports on the final criminal and departmental proceedings against the lot.
Reports said that hundreds of fake teachers, working based on fake caste and educational certificates, have been debarred from continuing in their service. The Education Department has issued orders for action against them numerous times. However, the district-level education officials are allegedly going all the way out to provide cover to the fake teachers. As per sources, hundreds of fake teachers are working in various schools under Korei and several other blocks of Jajpur district. The director of DEE has issued several orders to sack them and lodge police cases against them under Section-15 of Odisha Civil Services (OCS) (CC & A) rules-1962. However, the district education officials are violating these orders.
Moreover, attempts to take action against these errant officials have been futile. Earlier, one Sanjay Kumar Moharana had filed a PIL (18752/2018) in the Orissa High Court praying to take action against the fake teachers posted in various schools of the state. As per the high court order, the Education department somehow tried to conduct a probe and prepared a list of 394 fake teachers in the state. The probe informed presence of only one fake teacher in Jajpur but it is suspected that there are over 200 fake teachers working in the district. Reports of a fake teacher working under Vyasanagar tehsil is a case in this point.
A person, on the basis of a land patta he had acquired from Ghasipura tehsil in Keonjhar district, obtained a fake tribal caste certificate and joined as a teacher under Vyasanagar tehsil. Similarly, three persons were found working as teachers in Barchana block on the basis of fake OTET certificates. Accordingly, Jajpur education department has suspended these fake teachers. Furthermore, three siblings, who were working as fake teachers under Korei block, have been suspended. Despite presence of hundreds of fake teachers in the district, the district education department is yet to start criminal or departmental proceedings against them.
Similarly, a person of Asanjhar village under Korei block had been working as a teacher for years on the basis of a fake ST certificate. Promoted as Block Education Officer (BEO), he had been enjoying all the benefits of a government servant. However, he has been transferred to Kendrapara district after complaints were filed. Sources said, he is working as a BEO there and providing cover to other fake teachers. Notably, the Revenue Divisional Commissioner (Central) at Cuttack had directed for a probe August 8, 2022 but the then Vyasanagar tehsildar, without making any field visit, filed a report favouring these fake teachers.
