Maharashtra: 576 government teachers disqualified over TET rigging not to get salaries

PUNE: Maharashtra's primary education department has issued an order stopping disbursal of salaries of 576 government teachers who were disqualified in connection with the alleged rigging of the Teachers' Eligibility Test (TET) 2019-20. Two daughters of Abdul Sattar, a cabinet minister in the Eknath Shinde government, are among the 576 teachers who have faced the action.

The Maharashtra State Council of Examinations (MSCE) earlier this month said it had disqualified 7,874 candidates for their alleged involvement in manipulation and tampering of marks in the TET 2019-20. The names of three daughters and a son of Sattar, a rebel Shiv Sena MLA, had figured in the list of the candidates who were disqualified in connection with the alleged rigging of TET 2019-20. Sattar had, however, said he will seek an inquiry into how the names of his two daughters had cropped up in the list of teachers though they had “failed” to clear the exam. He claimed his son never appeared for the exam, but was evasive about his third daughter. Sattar's two daughters work in the education society belonging to him.

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"During the scrutiny of 7,874 candidates, it was found that 576 disqualified teachers were working either as Shikshan Sevak or Assistant Teacher and they were receiving salaries through 'shalarth system'," said the August 18 order issued by Dr Dinkar Patil, director, primary education directorate. It said the 'shalarth IDs' (which facilitated disbursal of salaries) of these 576 disqualified teachers have been frozen till further orders. The order said officials of regional centres should ensure that salaries of the 576 teachers whose shalarth IDs have been frozen are not paid through online or offline mode.