UP Recruitment Scam: 2,494 Govt Teachers 'Fake', STF Says 'Tip of the Iceberg'

A senior STF official said the number of such fake teachers could be much more if a thorough probe is conducted.

As many as 2,494 "teachers" recruited using fake documents have been identified in Uttar Pradesh in the past three years in a probe conducted by the state primary education department and the Special Task Force (STF). A senior official in the STF claimed this could just be the tip of the iceberg and the number of such fake teachers could run to tens of thousands if the probe is conducted thoroughly across the state.

The UP state administration had ordered a full-fledged probe into the scam by the STF in 2020 after a massive controversy over recruitment in the education department.

Since then, teachers found to be working in the education department have been identified and actions including registration of First Information Reports (FIRs), termination of service, and recovery of salary money is underway. As per official data, 2,347 FIRs have been registered during the probe and 2,461 teachers found fake have been terminated.

"We have created databases and have uploaded all marksheets right from 10th to 12th to degree courses Bachelor of Education (BEd) and Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) on our Manav Sampada portal. Our committee in the district is investigating a lot of such cases and after due diligence we found the teachers to be fake and FIR, recovery notices, and suspensions were done," a senior official in the state education department on the condition of anonymity said.

Digitisation of Records

The mysterious and bizarre case of "Anamika Shukla" was one of the major turning points in the recruitment scam probe. In June 2020, the UP government was left red-faced after it was unearthed that several women landed at government schools using the credentials of one "Anamika Shukla". Later, several teachers employed on her credentials were arrested from several districts of the state.

As the teacher recruitment scam began making noise, the education department fast-tracked its efforts to digitise the records of its employees on the Manav Sampada portal.

As per the official data from UP Basic Shiksha Parishad, service records and documents related to the appointment and educational qualification of 5,59,144 teachers have been uploaded on the Manav Sampada portal. Apart from digitisation, the aim was to weed out 'teachers' who had secured employment through nefarious means, especially by identity theft or forging documents.

If the senior officials in the education department are to be believed, the move toward digitisation of records triggered resignations and voluntary retirements. "When we issued orders to upload their education records online, some people left the service and they were later on found to be fake. FIRs have been registered against them also," a senior official said.

The Rot in the System

At the time of counselling during recruitment, successful candidates are required to submit their original educational qualification documents. "The Basic Shiksha Adhikari (BSA) sends letters to respective boards and universities along with copies of mark sheets for verification. The original marksheets are returned to the teachers after verification which sometimes takes as long as 2-3 years," a government primary school teacher in UP said.

However, despite what appears to be an exhaustive verification process, the probe underway reveals unscrupulous elements have hoodwinked the due process to gain employment.

In the STF's latest scrutiny of documents of 227 'fake' teachers, it was found that more than 90 percent of such teachers either produced someone else's document as their own or used forged documents to meet qualification demands.

Other means used for cheating included fake caste certificates, freedom fighter certificates, disability certificates and transfer orders.

On the condition of anonymity, a senior STF official privy to the investigation said, "If we consider the sample of teachers scrutinised and the fake teachers outed among them, the projected figure of such fake teachers would be in the tens of thousands if the credentials of all the teachers in the department were to be cross-checked."

STF ADG Slams Basic Education Officers

In tandem with the crackdown, "teachers" being flagged as fake in the probe have been approaching the high court for relief and getting stay orders against their suspension and termination. This development coupled with alleged delays in registration of FIRs against fake teachers has ruffled STF's feather which has been invested in getting to the bottom of this recruitment scam.

In a confidential letter dated 30 May 2022 which later leaked and came out in public domain, UP STF Additional Director General Amitabh Yash brought up the issue of delay in registration of FIRs against 176 teachers which were flagged to be fake by the STF.

"It appears that the concerned officer has been conceding additional time to such teachers and the chances of evidence being destroyed cannot be ruled out," an excerpt in the letter read.

While pointing out the leaks in the primary education department, Yash said a confidential letter from STF was leaked to four teachers from Mathura who used it to get a stay order from court. "It would be appropriate if the primary education department coordinates with the STF and files an affidavit and an application in the high court and get the stay order quashed through effective advocacy," ADG Yash said in the letter.

In the final point in the letter, he also stressed on forming a committee under supervision of senior officials of the primary education department. The committee would look into the cases of teachers flagged as fake securing relief from high court and getting their stay orders quashed.