Staff Reporter
ITANAGAR, 23 Mar: Following a report by news channel Seppa News 360 about a primary teacher purportedly engaging someone on his behalf to teach at the government primary school in Bokar under Pipu educational block in East Kameng district, the state government has directed the district administration to conduct immediate inquiry to unearth the fact.
The Seppa-based local digital channel exposed the alleged malpractice by the PRT posted at the primary school in Bokar through a visual testimony from a villager who claimed that the teacher has engaged someone on his behalf to teach at the school and shares his salary with the proxy teacher.
However, this daily could not reach out to said teacher for his reaction.
Soon after the report was aired on social media, netizens reacted strongly and demanded immediate inquiry. Some demanded suspension of said teacher.
On being contacted, Education Commissioner Niharika Rai informed that the deputy commissioner of East Kameng has been directed to conduct an inquiry into the practice and submit a report immediately.
Subsequently, Deputy Commissioner Pravimal Abhishek Polumatla directed the Pipu circle officer, the DDSE and the Seppa block establishment officer (BEO) to verify the incident and submit a report by Tuesday evening.
“I have already deputed a team under the chairmanship of the Pipu CO to conduct an inquiry and report to me by evening today. Will initiate action based on the report,” the DC said.
The DC informed that he held a meeting with all the BEOs and the DDSE on Tuesday and directed them to conduct field visits and report to him if any such cases are found.
He said he would involve panchayati raj members also.
On being contacted, East Kameng Social Welfare and Cultural Organization chairman Bharat Sonam said that “instead of issuing order for a single individual or school, the district administration should have issued an order for all the schools because similar cases may be happening in other schools too.”
Reacting to the alleged malpractice, Arunachal Teachers’ Association (ATA) president Kipa Kechak said, “The ATA always stands with justice. If found true, then action must be initiated against the teacher as per the rules. Moreover, this dummy practice shouldn’t be encouraged.”
Sources informed that such malpractice is rampantly going on in government schools in several districts, especially in far-flung areas where block resource coordinators (BRC), BEOs and cluster resource coordinators (CRC) are unable to inspect regularly. It is further alleged that such malpractice could pervade and go unreported as the BRCs, BEOs, CRCs and the school management committees concerned are allegedly in collusion with the teachers.
The Arunachal Times has learnt that the government is ascertaining whether similar malpractice is prevalent in other districts.
Meanwhile, sources in the chief minister’s office informed that Chief Minister Pema Khandu has directed the education department to look into the matter and called for appropriate action to be initiated if the teacher is found to have used a proxy.
