Following a scam of sorts surfacing over an ‘absentee’ teacher from Gujarat’s Banaskantha district, who was allegedly drawing a salary by appearing only once a year in the school, the state government has woken up from deep slumber and sought detailed reports of teachers who have been absent from their duties for extended periods.
A video involving Bhavna Patel from Panchha Primary School in Danta Taluka, Banaskantha went viral. No action was taken despite complaints from parents and the principal. The teacher has given her version claiming that she was blackmailed by the acting principal of the school to “settle” her case. She also claimed that she had No Objection Certificate for traveling abroad.
Following this embarrassment, the state government has initiated an inquiry. According to sources, around 150 teachers, who fall under the category of “absentee”, are under scanner. Out of 150 teachers, at least 35 teachers are believed to have relocated abroad.
The department has requested detailed information from all District Primary Officers (DPOs) regarding employees who have been absent for more than three months. The data includes details such as the teacher’s name, school, reason for absence, leave approval status and salary disbursement. Kutch district has reported the highest number of missing teachers (18), followed by Banaskantha (12), Mehsana (10) and Ahmedabad (1).
The string of revelations has led to the opposition Congress and Aam Aadmi Party hitting out at the BJP. What has raised many eyebrows is the fact that Gujarat boasts of an advanced online monitoring system at Vidya Samiksha Kendra, built at a substantial cost in Gandhinagar. There is live monitoring of the schools by the Kendra. Despite the state-of-the-art technology designed to ensure the presence of 2.4 lakh teachers across the state, reports have surfaced of teachers going abroad on current salaries, unnoticed by the system.
The government is now under pressure to address these issues, as the implications of this negligence are far-reaching. The Vidya Samiksha Kendra, which also feeds real-time data to the Chief Minister’s Dashboard, has come under scrutiny. Despite the availability of information regarding teacher attendance, there appears to have been a systemic failure, leading to a situation where teachers could exploit the system and remain abroad on full pay.
It has been found that around 31 teachers have not been reporting for duty for the past nine months or more. Some of them have cited medical reasons and other issues. This issue extends across all levels of education, from primary to higher secondary, according to a senior education department official.
It has also been reported that between 2018 and 2020, 131 teachers who relocated to other countries were suspended for not reporting for duty.
Officials in Mehsana and Banaskantha have raised similar concerns, with 22 teachers flagged for irregular attendance. The state education department faces a significant challenge as it oversees over 31,000 primary schools with a workforce of 1.68 lakh teachers.
Also Read: Officer Deputed In Rajkot After Game Zone Fire In Graft Net
