The education department office in Nagpur is synonymous with the corruption. And it does not help that the new deputy director of education Mahesh Karajgaonkar himself is facing criminal charges on this account. Karajgaonkar is in the thick of many controversies with series of allegations of his involvement in graft cases. According to a secretary of a society running a renowned school in Nagpur, this was just the tip of the iceberg. No file moved in the department without paying bribe. "It is not much in news when compared to NMC or RTO but the corruption here is no less and bribes being paid are in lakhs.
You have to pay money right from a peon to top official for any work," he lamented. The department oversees over 15,000 school and junior colleges in six districts of Nagpur division. The society office bearer said for every appointment in governmentaided schools, the school authorities need a no-objection certificate (NOC) from the department and also approval for the selected candidate. "In both cases, officials demand huge money. They openly ask the schools to recover the money from the candidate.
In fact, the candidates are made to bid for the teachers' post. Those who pay the highest price are selected without verifying their ability to teach," he stated. Nitin Choudhary, who runs an NGO Lok Adhikar Manch, disclosed that the department officials demand money for allowing shifting of a school. "In fact, the lower rung officials illegally use rights of deputy director to grant approval for shifting and demand money for the same. I've lodged a police complaint in this regard and also filed a case in court. They seem to enjoy political clout as nothing happens to them. Their illegal activities continue unabated," he charged. Another key person from school management disclosed that department officials insisted on creating of fake section in many government-aided schools by illegally inflating the number of students. "They do this for getting extra grants from the government.
They even take money from teachers for their appointment. The officials then show the appointed teacher as surplus after three years and transfer him to any big school where vacancies exists," he said. Choudhary had lodged a FIR in this case too. Datta Shirke, a social activist, said department officials were biggest beneficiaries of all government grants that come under big projects like Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan and midday meal scheme. "Cross-checking should be done to verify whether the children really benefited. A study should be conducted on how and where these grants are spent," he remarked.
You have to pay money right from a peon to top official for any work," he lamented. The department oversees over 15,000 school and junior colleges in six districts of Nagpur division. The society office bearer said for every appointment in governmentaided schools, the school authorities need a no-objection certificate (NOC) from the department and also approval for the selected candidate. "In both cases, officials demand huge money. They openly ask the schools to recover the money from the candidate.
In fact, the candidates are made to bid for the teachers' post. Those who pay the highest price are selected without verifying their ability to teach," he stated. Nitin Choudhary, who runs an NGO Lok Adhikar Manch, disclosed that the department officials demand money for allowing shifting of a school. "In fact, the lower rung officials illegally use rights of deputy director to grant approval for shifting and demand money for the same. I've lodged a police complaint in this regard and also filed a case in court. They seem to enjoy political clout as nothing happens to them. Their illegal activities continue unabated," he charged. Another key person from school management disclosed that department officials insisted on creating of fake section in many government-aided schools by illegally inflating the number of students. "They do this for getting extra grants from the government.
They even take money from teachers for their appointment. The officials then show the appointed teacher as surplus after three years and transfer him to any big school where vacancies exists," he said. Choudhary had lodged a FIR in this case too. Datta Shirke, a social activist, said department officials were biggest beneficiaries of all government grants that come under big projects like Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan and midday meal scheme. "Cross-checking should be done to verify whether the children really benefited. A study should be conducted on how and where these grants are spent," he remarked.
0 comments:
Post a Comment