Fayaz Bukhari
SRINAGAR, May 15: Jammu and Kashmir High Court today directed the Government to constitute a committee to look into the fake certificates on which teachers have been appointed in the Education Department and issue their termination orders.
The court was dismayed after a Rehbar-e-Taleem (ReT) teacher who was asked to write an essay on cow in English and Urdu and answer 4th standard questions in the court failed to write it and answer the questions.
Justice MH Attar directed constitution of a team to find out the fake certificates in Education Department: “In order to arrest further deterioration in the education system, the Commissioner-Secretary Education Department is directed to constitute a committee to look into the hazards, which, such type of degrees must have caused to the society”, court directed.
Court put responsibility on the committee for finding out such false and fictitious degrees issued in favour of the candidates who got selected as teachers with the help of these fake degrees. It directed the committee to take screening test of these candidates to determine whether they are competent to teach the students.
“The committee shall be responsible to find out all such degrees and certificates issued in favour of such candidates who stand selected as ReTs and teachers and ask this class of teachers to sit in a screening test to ascertain as to whether they are in a position to teach the students and all such teachers who fail in the screening test their certificates would require to be seized subject to affording them opportunity of hearing”, court directed.
Court said in case they fail in the test, authorities shall consider termination of their services after following principles of natural justice as same will be in the larger interests of student community and society.
Court while passing these directions, observed: “This writ petition throws up most startling and classical example of sale of academic degrees for which many tuck shops were operating in the State. These tuck shops, which have issued the degrees would be responsible for relegating the student community in the ‘dark cave of plato”.
Court also issued direction upon the Director School Education Department to refer the matter to the concerned Police Station for registration of FIR. “The Director School Education Department Kashmir shall refer the matter to the concerned police for registration of case and initiate action against the owner of the study centre and the private respondents. Action shall be initiated against them under penal laws as well”, directed court.
Court sought compliance report from both Commissioner-Secretary Education and Director School Education before the next date of hearing. Court asked the registry to forward the copy of order to Commissioner-Secretary, Director and Secretary Service Selection Board forthwith.
Court while passing the judgment made it clear that education in the State shall not be polluted and observed that the authorities responsible to ensure that the stream of academics and education is not polluted in the State. “In view of the facts which have surfaced in this case, have acted as soul-less bodies with ray less eyes as they have criminally condoned and over looked the Himalayan blunders committed in procuring the academic degrees”, court observed.
It has been alleged in the writ petition by the petitioner that the empanelment of private respondent Mohammad Imran Khan of Qazigund who has been selected as ReT has obtained the degree of 10+2 from a study centre which is not recognized.
“Some of the study centers have played havoc with the academic health of the State which in pursuance of Government orders stand closed now”, reads the court order.
The ReT who was present in the court was given a paragraph to be translated both into Urdu and English and vice versa. He was also provided with the questions of 4th standard which he could not solve at all.
“Today the private respondent is present in the court. In presence of number of learned counsels and litigant public, he was asked to write an essay on ‘cow’ in urdu and English. Even after five minutes he could not write a single word and said that he cannot write essay either in urdu or english which are the languages which he is required to teach at the primary and middle levels”, court said after it was decided to take it as a sample case to find out the academic ability of the candidate.
Court after witnessing this entire situation observed. “One does not know as to how many such candidates with such degrees stand appointed as teachers and what would be the fate of future of the State has to be only visualized. The school going children who are the future of the nation in the hands of such teachers would pass out as ‘block heads’ and the future of the State would get destroyed instead of further evolution in the academics and the ‘youth will retard mentally’ and will make future dark for all”, observed the court with anguish and deep concern.
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