Disclosure of irregularities in teacher recruitment in Sivasagar district, serious allegations of changing the date of birth in the teacher’s service chest

 Purusutam Kalita 

SIVASAGAR : The allegations that there were irregularities in teacher recruitment in undivided Sivasagar district during the tenure of the previous AGP and Congress governments are gradually proving to be the case. Shivsagar police arrested former retired district primary education officer Anwar Hussain a few days ago today on the basis of a case two decades later for appointing a minor as a teacher. An art chapter in the teacher recruitment process is beginning to unfold in Sivasagar soon after the arrest of the former officer. Along with some education officers and deputy inspectors, some officers of the office of the District Primary Education Officer as well as some officers of the Office of the Sub-Inspector of Subdivisions, drilling assistants etc. are engaged in carrying out the recruitment process in an out-of-principle manner. It may be recalled that instead of transparent and fair appointments, there have been allegations since then that education officers, sub-inspectors and assam officials of the department who converted this recruitment into a kind of employment business in the script of political leaders had raised their hands equally at that time but there was no departmental inquiry even today. Meanwhile, despite several transfers, the name of a woman officer who came to the office of the Sivasagar district education officer or deputy inspector has already been raised in this suspicious recruitment process. The woman officer was a host in the office of district primary education officer and deputy inspector in teacher recruitment during the tenure of the previous AGP government. It was not possible for the candidate to get appointment to the post of teacher without the green signature of this woman officer in charge of drilling assistant. The social conscious and intellectual circles in Sivasagar have advocated a high level inquiry into the teachers who were appointed by this woman officer while she was in charge of drilling assistants.

On the other hand the name of the woman officer is raised in parallel with the retired deputy inspector of one. Kolendra Das, now a resident of Guwahati, who is identified as one of the most corrupt officials among the teaching community in Sivasagar in his career, kept these incidents in exchange for the only secret transaction slipped even after the teacher candidate was informed about getting a teacher’s job with age forage. A special source said a teacher is still teaching citing two birth dates. The date of birth that she mentioned while getting a job appointment letter is not currently mentioned in the service book of the female teacher. The date of birth which is currently mentioned in the service book of the female teacher is four years later than the date of birth mentioned in the appointment letter. Deputy inspector Kolendra Das was the founder of the match which was mentioned in the appointment letter and subsequently corrected the date of birth. Despite the final discrepancy in the education certificate of the female teacher, in exchange for a secret agreement with the teacher, the deputy inspector initially signed the service book of the teacher who corrected the date of birth and opened a curved path for the teacher to continue with the job. About 30 lakh rupees will be withtaken from the government exchequer for this woman teacher who has been employed for an additional four years.

There have already been demands for an all out probe into such irregularities in the office of the district primary education officer. Assam officials as well as some teachers are apprehensive as there has been a strong reaction across the state over widespread irregularities in the teacher recruitment process in undivided Sivasagar district. Senior officials as well as some teachers in the undivided Sivasagar district education officer’s office will also be covered under the investigation if the concerned department of the state government announces a high level inquiry.