Patna: In a major crackdown on alleged irregularities in teacher appointments, the Bihar government has ordered verification of educational, caste and other mandatory certificates of 72,287 teachers working in government schools across the state. The verification will be carried out by the Vigilance Investigation Bureau (VIB). Teachers found to have secured jobs using forged certificates will be dismissed from service, and the entire salary drawn so far will be recovered with interest. Criminal cases will also be registered against such individuals.
The Education Department said the Vigilance Bureau will verify certificates of teachers appointed between 2006 and 2015 under the erstwhile “niyojit shikshak” system. The scrutiny will include educational qualifications, professional training certificates, caste certificates, income certificates and Aadhaar-related documents. All certificates will be cross-verified with the concerned boards, universities, districts and state authorities.
According to official data, the highest number of doubts have been raised over high school and intermediate mark sheets and certificates of 53,894 teachers. In addition, certificates of 18,393 teachers related to BEd, BTC, BA, disability and caste categories will also be examined.
Large-Scale Verification Across Boards and Universities
The verification exercise includes 46,681 certificates issued by the Bihar School Examination Board, 1,763 from the Sanskrit Board and 5,450 from the Madrasa Board.
University-level certificates under scrutiny include 666 from Tilka Manjhi Bhagalpur University, 4,924 from Magadh University, Bodh Gaya, and 114 from Nalanda Open University, Patna. Certificates from Patna University (383), Veer Kunwar Singh University, Ara (2,296), Lalit Narayan Mithila University, Darbhanga (2,934), and distance education institutions (882) are also part of the probe.
Other universities whose certificates are being examined include Kameshwar Singh Sanskrit University, Darbhanga (395), Jai Prakash University, Chhapra (395), BR Ambedkar Bihar University, Muzaffarpur (1,902), and BN Mandal University, Madhepura, where around 2,000 certificates have been found suspicious.
Departmental Checks Failed Earlier
The Education Department has admitted that it conducted seven rounds of departmental verification in the past, but failed to establish the authenticity of certificates in several cases. Due to administrative lapses, action could not be taken earlier. The responsibility has now been handed over to the Vigilance Investigation Bureau, and district education officers across Bihar have been instructed to extend full cooperation.
Officials said more than 40,000 teachers who allegedly secured jobs on the basis of forged certificates have already become state employees after clearing competency exams and TRE-1, TRE-2 and TRE-3 recruitment processes. If any of these teachers are found guilty during the vigilance probe, their services will be terminated and salary and benefits recovered.
FIRs and Recoveries Likely
Sources said around 420 cases are expected to be registered during the course of the investigation. Salary paid to ineligible teachers will be recovered with interest. Between August and October alone, FIRs were lodged against 106 teachers in different districts.
Recent Cases of Fake Certificates
In recent weeks, several cases have already surfaced. On December 14, verification in Nawada revealed forged certificates of three teachers. In Katihar, the Vigilance Bureau found fake certificates of one teacher from Korha block and two appointed teachers from Azamnagar. In Saran district’s Manjhi block, certificates of six appointed teachers were found to be forged.
Statewide Teacher Strength
Bihar currently has around 5.80 lakh teachers working in nearly 81,000 schools. Between 2006 and 2016, about 3.68 lakh appointed teachers were recruited. Of these, nearly 2.60 lakh have become state employees after clearing the competency examination, while tests are still being conducted for the remaining teachers.
Education Minister Sunil Kumar said strict action will be taken against those who secured government jobs using fake certificates.
“Verification of teachers’ certificates is underway. Anyone found guilty will face strict action. Verification is being conducted at board, university and district levels in every district,” he said.
