THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) has detected serious irregularities in the functioning of the Directorate of General Education (DGE) and District Education Offices (DEO). The irregularities were found in the way the staff there handled matters related to the aided schools.
The Vigilance on Thursday raided 41 district offices and the directorate based on information that certain officials in these offices were taking bribes to provide various services to the aided school management and the staff working there.
During the raids, it was found that the district office staff in several places were sitting on various applications filed by the aided school management, including seeking recognition for excess divisions. As many as 4,699 applications filed in the last five years were found to be lying unattended.
The delay was an effort to force the school management to pay bribes. It was found that such applications filed even in 2019 were found lying pending in the district offices in Kottayam (385), Ernakulam (443), Kattappana (346), Muvattupuzha (222), Thamarassery (220), Malappuram (218), Vadakara (197), Mannarkkad (195), Kozhikode (191), Tirurangadi (190), Palakkad (187), Pala (179), Kothamangalam (157), Kanjirappally (151), Taliparamba (138), Ottapalam (123), Wandoor (120), Kollam (115), Kaduthuruthy (106), Kannur (99), Tirur (96), Kasaragod (90), Thalassery (74), Kanhangad (69), Irinjalakuda (37), Thrissur (26), Pathanamthitta (25), Kalpetta (19), Kottarakkara (14), Malappuram (8), Alappuzha (8), Punalur (3), and Thiruvalla (2).
The applications for regularizing appointments were also found to be lying unattended in the offices of district education officers, their assistants and the junior superintendents. In the directorate, 2577 files, including review appeal petitions, were found pending. It was also detected that as many as 142 teaching posts were illegally regularized by various district offices. It was also found that applications pertaining to provident funds, and leave settlements were also pending in various sections.