Primary teachers with fake certificates to face legal action

DHANBAD: The district administration will file an FIR against 20 newly appointed primary teachers found guilty of producing fake certificates during a recent recruitment drive.

The decision was taken after a detailed scrutiny of their academic credentials and Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) certificates, issued by Jharkhand Academic Council (JAC), over the last three months.

Vineet Kumar, district superintendent of education (DSE), told HT that all 20 teachers, accused of furnishing fake certificates, had allegedly doctored the documents to fulfill the eligibility criteria. “Some have even increased their marks on the certificates,” said the DSE.

Altogether 945 primary teachers were appointed during the district-level recruitment drive of primary teachers, held early this year. Of them, 20 have been identified with forged certificates and four more are still under suspicion, said Kumar, adding that the number of fake certificates may rise.

Sensing trouble, two teachers have resigned from their job last month but they will still have to face the consequences. “Two primary teachers, Nageshwar Yadav and Mahesh Kumar, resigned after their names were dragged into the controversy. Others, however, are either on leave or unresponsive,” Kumar said.

JAC had conducted TET examination in 2013. The recruitment process for primary teachers was held early this year.