Over 3 lakh ‘ghost’ children in Assam schools, Sonowal promises action

NEW DELHI: The Assam government has found that over three lakh ‘ghost’ children were enrolled in government schools in 2016-17. Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal has said that strict action will be initiated against those found guilty of furnishing fake enrolment figures.

The school education department of the state is looking into the details of people involved in embezzlement of public money by showing fake enrolment figures. Anup Kumar Das, deputy director of Secondary Education and also inspector of schools, told Careers360: “As stated by the chief minister, the problem has come to our notice and we are working on it. The numbers are huge and there would be a good number of people involved in it. Soon, the government will start taking action against the culprits.”

As per a press release issued by the CM office, during the recent review meeting of Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) which includes elementary, secondary and teacher education, the enrolment figure of all government schools stood at 46.69 lakh from Class 1 to 12 in 2018-19. This is lower than 49.82 lakh for the year 2016-17. Assam’s BJP government has interpreted this as the previous, Congress-led government inflating enrolment figures.

Sonowal’s office has alleged that the previous government had shown these fake figures to embezzle public money for textbooks, mid-day meals and uniforms.

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