CHENNAI: The investigation into the ghost faculty fraud in engineering colleges affiliated to the Anna University is yet to reach a conclusion as majority of the teachers suspected to have been involved in the illegality have failed to appear before the university’s probe committees. The teachers’ list was prepared after officials scoured through database containing 52,500 records.
According to sources, after the scam was unearthed by NGO Arappor Iyakkam in July, Anna University initiated a probe and found that over 676 teachers were shown to be working as full-time faculty in multiple engineering colleges simultaneously in the academic year 2023-24. Accordingly, show-cause notices were issued to them in August. However, so far only around 25% of them have appeared before the probe panels. This despite six probe committees being formed for various regions to help teachers avoid the trouble of travelling all the way to Chennai.
“The probe committees have completed their inquiry in four regions, while the Chennai and Coimbatore teams will finish their investigation likely by October-end. But the poor turnout of the teachers named is creating a problem for us,” said a faculty of the university.
Sources also mentioned that a majority of the around 170 teachers who did appear before the panels stated that they were unaware of the fraud.
“It’s quite clear that the teachers who intentionally committed the fraud are the ones who are not cooperating with us,” said an official of the university.
After completion of the probe, a report will be submitted to the higher education department for further action, official sources said. However, the delay in concluding the investigation and initiating action against the guilty have irked the academicians.
‘Faculty fraud is like playing with students’ future’
“TheRe was lot of talk about the guilty teachers being barred and colleges being disaffiliated, however, nothing of that sort has been done. By allowing such fraudulent colleges to continue their operations, we are playing with the students’ future,” said K R Murali, retired principal of an engineering college.
It is to be noted that when the scam came to light, the then higher education secretary had formed a high-level committee comprising of T Abraham, commissioner of the directorate of technical education, N Kumaravel, professor of eminence in Anna University, and Usha Natesan, director of the National Institute of Technical Teachers Training and Research (NITTTR), Chennai, to probe the matter. Subsequently, the team had also submitted its findings as a report.
However, no action was taken on that report. University officials said that before punishing the colleges and teachers, the department wanted to give them an opportunity to present their case. hence, the show cause notices were issued, they said. “Swift action is necessary in such cases to send a strong message,” said former V-C of Anna University M K Surappa.