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Unions pull up state education Board for lack of seriousness in Jalna scam
Teachers and school principals unions have accused the state education board of not seriously tackling the HSC answer sheets rewriting scam. 6 junior clerks associated with the confidential branch of the Aurangabad division and the Aurangabad division chairman Sukhdev Dere were suspended.
“No concrete steps have been taken by the MSBSHE yet, even though nearly 2 weeks have passed since the police On March 18, the police seized 2,500 original HSC answer sheets, more than 5,000 duplicate blank answer sheets and an equal number of duplicate barcodes and holograms from a private hostel in Jalna. The police probe is heading in the right direction, but a parallel inquiry would have helped expose insiders with links to the miscreants," said Manoj Patil, leader of a teachers' cell associated with the Congress while addressing the media on Sunday.
Different unions of teachers and school principals have accused the state education board of not seriously tackling the Class XII (HSC) answer sheets rewriting scam.
Earlier, 6 junior clerks associated with the confidential branch of the Aurangabad division were suspended by the state board in connection with the racket sending ripples across the academic sector. The suspension of Aurangabad division chairman Sukhdev Dere sent more shock waves, though senior officials maintained that his suspension was on administrative grounds only.
Subhash Maher, the leader of a teachers' union associated with the MNS, said that senior officials from the state board should be present in Aurangabad to monitor further investigations. When contacted, MSBSHE chairman Gangadhar Mhamane ruled out charges about lack of seriousness on his part in dealing with the scam.
"We will carry out a departmental inquiry at our level once the police investigation gets over. There could be difficulties in conducting a parallel inquiry along with a police probe where seeking vital documents or summoning people for inquiry is concerned," he said.
It is rare that the grass root level of an organisation wants change as badly as the state education department in Aurangabad. It is a shame that although steps in the right direction are being taken they seem inadequate as the crucial human touch is missing. The Board needs to show the unions that it means business by not only taking action and instituting inquiries but also by being present at ground zero.