Nayagarh: Jayanti Sahu was working as a teacher at Manikia Government UP School at Fategarh in Nayagrah district. It was found that she had furnished fake certificates to get the job. It came to the fore during an investigation launched by the police. The police had initiated the probe on the basis of a complaint lodged by Bhapur block education officer (BEO).
Jayanti’s case is a tip of the iceberg. If all the complaints are taken into account there are 300 such teachers in the district who have got appointments by furnishing fake certificates. The number of such teachers is more in blocks like Nayagarh, Odagaon, Nuagaon, Dasapalla and Ranapur.
There is no proper explanation as to how these teachers are continuing with their jobs, in spite of their ‘fake’ certificates. It should be stated here that officials regularly carry out certification inspection drive.
In another case, a teacher in Odagaon block has reportedly provided two certificates he got during one academic session. After his father’s voluntary retirement, Kartikeswar Panda was appointed as an untrained teacher July 11, 1989, after he passed his Plus-II exams. He completed CT training and obtained a certificate after studying for two years – 1990 and 1991. During the same period, he graduated from Utkal University in 1992 and has a ‘certificate’ to prove it.
The immediate question that comes to mind is how Panda was pursuing his CT training and graduation simultaneously and from where he managed to get two certificates?
It has long been alleged that there are many such teachers in Odagaon and in rural and urban areas in the district.
Meanwhile the salaries of 37 BEOs have been withheld as they have been unable to teachers who are continuing in their jobs with fake certificates. Among them, two BEOs are of Odagaon and Bhapur blocks. Officials are hoping that such measures against the BEOs would ensure action against teachers with fake certificates.
Sources said that such teachers regularly bribe higher-ups to continue in their respective jobs. A well-knit racket operates at each block education office. During inspection, xerox copies of the fake certificates are tallied with fake ones assuming them to be original ones. This way, they escape action.
When contacted, district education officer Akrur Barik said inspection of certificates has been intensified. Soon, fake teachers would be found out and action would be taken against them.