DEOs told to address graft charges or face action

Aparna Banerji

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, August 11

With the Education Department taking notice of the harassment and constant inconvenience caused to teachers due to the holding up of their increments and ACP cases by many BPEOs, seeking money in return for their work, the department has now written to all DEOs to rein in all such corrupt elements in their districts.

The department, in a letter to the DEOs, has written that it has come to the department’s notice that exchange of money is prevalent in offices and complaints regarding this are being received from BPEO offices. Taking a strict notice of this, the department has instructed the supervision of department employees so that an end may be put to corruption.

The department has written to the DEOs that if any such complaint is received by the department in future, disciplinary action shall be initiated against District Education Officer (Elementary) and strict action be taken against the BPEOs.

In Jalandhar as well, the BPEO of a local block was recently arrested for indulging in corruption. He had sought bribe from a teacher to clear her ACP case. Similar cases of pending bills and teachers’ important works and applications not being cleared abound within the department.

At the Nakodar I block, where a BPEO was also recently arrested on corruption charges, at least 11 letters of teachers seeking increment arrears for the past few years remain pending. The cases of the increments of Centre Head teachers in the block are also remain pending.

A teacher at the block said, “Unless we beg and ask the department or pay money for what we need, cases are rarely cleared in time. Many of the cases remain pending and bribe has been sought from many teachers in the past as well. But unless teachers speak up, the matter won’t reach the department. Presently, the prime problem is that teachers are too scared to speak up.”