Bihar government to sack 3,000 teachers hired using fake degrees
What's the story
The Bihar government has decided to terminate the services of over three thousand teachers who were appointed using fake degrees and forged educational certificates. The decision was announced by Education Minister Mithilesh Tiwary on Friday. The move comes after a thorough investigation by the state Vigilance Bureau into teacher recruitment between 2006 and 2015.
Investigation findings
Massive irregularities found in teacher recruitment process
The Vigilance Bureau's investigation found massive irregularities, including the use of fake educational institutions and forged academic documents to obtain teaching posts. Based on these findings, several FIRs were filed against the accused teachers. Tiwary said the government would not only dismiss the accused teachers but also initiate strict disciplinary action against them. This includes recovering salaries and honorariums paid during their tenure, along with applicable interest.
Next steps
'Zero tolerance policy' toward corruption
Tiwary emphasized that both the Centre and Bihar government have a "zero tolerance" policy toward corruption. "The NDA governments...follow a policy of zero tolerance towards corruption. I must point out that the vigilance inquiry into the matter was ordered by Nitish Kumar when he was the chief minister," the minister said. Officials also revealed that some teachers had resigned before disciplinary proceedings could be initiated against them, but they will also face departmental action.