Rayagada: An additional 129 teachers in this district have again come under scanner on a charge of submitting fake educational certificates while joining service, a report said Wednesday. During preliminary verification, the concerned teachers were found to have joined in their respective services by submitting fake Plus III and B. Ed certificates.
Earlier, 12 teachers had been dismissed from service in April 2023 on a charge of submitting fake certificates. The Education department has sought details from Andhra University since 2019 on the educational qualifications of these teachers as all the certificates were issued by them. The doubts about the submission of fake certificates by these teachers are gaining ground as Andhra University has yet to reply on the issue.
Sources said that the department of Samagra Sikshya Abhiyan issued a letter and sought details on the Plus III certificates of 14 teachers and B. Ed certificates of 144 teachers, December 31, 2019.
However, the varsity provided the details of only 15 teachers during the last four years. Interestingly, 14 of those teachers have either resigned from their services or got themselves transferred elsewhere after the Samagra Sikshya Abhiyan submitted the certificates for verification to the university and sought details on their authenticity.
However, it is surprising that the university is not submitting the details of the rest of the 129 teachers. This has intensified the doubts on the authenticity of the certificates submitted by the concerned teachers. The Andhra University hardly seems to be concerned about the letter written by the state Education department while the latter is yet to take any action on the issue. This has emboldened the teachers who have managed to join the service by submitting fake certificates. They are drawing their salary month after month without any fear of action. The state exchequer will lose precious funds towards salary payments for these fake teachers by the time the truth is revealed. This has sparked concern among the educationists and officials of the Education department. The Education Department had sent the certificates of 158 teachers for verification. Among them, 130 joined the service in 2016- 17 while the rest 28 teachers joined the service in 2013-14 and 2014-15. The teachers have not only obtained certificates from Andhra University but also from universities in Assam, Punjab, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Telangana, and Uttar Pradesh.
Observers claimed that the Education department instead of verifying the certificates should get the matter probed by the state Crime Branch and state Vigilance departments. This will help in nabbing the culprits and in busting the rackets involved in fake certificates. When contacted, Purna Chandra Bariha, district education officer and project coordinator of Samagra Sikshya Abhiyan said that the verification report of only some of the teachers has arrived while that of others is yet to be available to them. The available report has stated their certificates to be genuine.