Bihar: Action Taken Against Block Education Officers For Negligence In APAAR ID Creation; DEO Withholds Salaries, Demands Explanations

Patna: The Bihar Education Department has initiated disciplinary action against three Block Education Officers (BEOs) in West Champaran district for their failure to ensure the timely creation of Automated Permanent Academic Account Registry (APAAR) IDs for students. District Education Officer (DEO) Rajnikant Praveen has withheld one day’s salary and demanded an explanation from the BEOs of Lauriya, Majhauliya, and Bagaha-1.

In a statement, DEO Rajnikant Praveen expressed concern over the poor performance in the district, highlighting that the creation of APAAR IDs in West Champaran is significantly below the state average. Despite clear instructions and follow-up correspondence issued over the past month, the district’s progress remained unsatisfactory, as revealed in a review meeting held on Monday (16th December).

Praveen described the situation as a serious matter, marking it as a reflection of negligence and defiance of senior officials’ orders. He emphasized that such laxity is a violation of duty and would not be tolerated. The Education Department regularly conducts reviews on Tuesdays and Fridays, and due to West Champaran’s underperformance, the department has expressed its displeasure.

As part of the corrective measures, the DEO has ordered the Block Education Officers (BEO) to complete the APAAR ID creation process on a priority basis, demanding a response within three days. The salary for December 16 has been suspended pending clarification and further review of the matter.

In a separate incident, the Additional Chief Secretary (ACS) of the Education Department, Dr. S Siddharth, conducted a virtual inspection of Teghra Mushari School in the Babu Barhi block on Saturday. During the inspection, several issues, including low student attendance, inadequate facilities such as missing benches, and the absence of teachers, were brought to light. School headmaster Ghuran Thakur is expected to face punishment for his role in the disorder and negligence observed during the inspection.

Following the virtual review, the DEO visited the school to gather more information about the situation. He found additional concerns, such as teachers leaving the school to fetch vegetables. However, when contacted, the BEO’s mobile was switched off, and no formal statements have been made regarding the action taken.

The Panchayat Planning Unit has been instructed to take action against the headmaster, potentially suspending him, while the District Education Officer has also ordered a probe into the role of the Block Resource Person (BRP). Officials from the Teghra Panchayat Teacher Niyojan Unit confirmed that no official communication has been received yet, but action will be taken as soon as the instructions are formalized.