Education director can act against corrupt staff

In a bid to curb instances of corruption by school principals, teachers and non-teaching staff in government-run and private aided schools, the government has decided to empower the education director to initiate penal action against the accused after holding a proper inquiry into the issue. The decision has been taken to expedite adjudication of cases that get delayed inadvertently and has been implemented after consulting the anti-corruption bureau.

According to the government resolution issued on Friday, the school education department has mentioned that many accusations against principals, vice-principals, teachers and non-teaching staff of private aided schools have surfaced which include ill-behaviour, rude and non-cooperative attitude, demanding personal favours and kickbacks for routine and administrative work.

The resolution stated that these actions fall under the Private School Employees Service Rules of 1981 but as action against the accused has to go through a long winded procedure which extends beyond the 90 days limit for conducting inquiries against allegations of corruption and bribe taking the department has decided to empower the director of school education to expedite the inquiries and decide the quantum of punishment and announce the same within 90 days.

Further elaborating on the application of the Anti Corruption Act of 1988, the government order said that once the inquiry finds the accused guilty of the corruption charges, the decision of expulsion and termination of services by the director would be final and binding upon the school authorities and the local education officer. The order concludes that the opinions and views of various concerned authorities from the legal department have also been sought and sanctioned and would be in force since the day of the order being issued.

Recently, education minister Vinod Tawde and the department had received numerous complaints regarding the corrupt practices being adopted by school principals and their cronies to siphon off large sums of grants meant for the welfare and well-being of students enrolled in the school. However, in the absence of a proper authority the corrupt practices have continued unabated, hence the department decided to appoint the director of education as the authority to get the accusations investigated and a decision against the same be taken expeditiously.