Fake Certificate Scandal: 11 DEOs in Odisha Under Scrutiny for Withholding Teacher Information

Bhubaneswar: In response to concerns over school teachers submitting fake certificates, the Director of the Elementary Education department has instructed District Education Officers (DEOs) in 11 districts to provide information on such cases. The DEOs of Balasore, Bhadrak, Bolangir, Deogarh, Gajapati, Jagatsinghpur, Kalahandi, Kendrapara, Malkangiri, Mayurbhanj, and Sambalpur were specifically requested to address the matter promptly.

The department had communicated this directive in a letter dated December 29, 2023 (No-27080), stressing the urgency of compliance by today (January 30). The DEOs were given a three-day window to personally investigate and submit the required data.

Failure to provide complete information has hindered the filing of a compliance affidavit in WPC No-18752/2018, a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by Sanjaya Kumar Moharana.

In a related development, on January 11, the Block Education Officer (BEO) of Kashipur lodged separate FIRs against four school teachers in Rayagada district for allegedly submitting fake certificates to secure government positions in Kashipur block.

Taking stringent action against fraudulent activities in the education sector, the Bolangir district administration dismissed four government teachers on August 18, 2023. These teachers had reportedly obtained their positions by presenting fake educational certificates.