Operation Black Board

Widespread irregularities, including bribery, fake school admissions and disability quota recruitment fraud, have been uncovered during the state-wide vigilance inspections conducted in offices under the General Education Department. The inspections, carried out under the name Operation Black Board, covered 41 District Education Offices, seven Regional Deputy Director offices and seven Assistant Director offices.

Unaccounted money was recovered from some offices. Vigilance also found that retired officials were working as middlemen for corruption under the name “service consultants.” Evidence emerged showing that bribes were being taken to approve benefits for aided school teachers and staff, in some cases even through online payment methods.

Since the public does not directly interact with these offices often, the corruption happening inside has gone mostly unnoticed. However, teachers say that in the education department, even legitimate benefits cannot be obtained without paying money. Those who pay bribes usually do not file complaints, allowing some officials to take both a government salary and bribes for doing their official duties. Officials caught with solid evidence should be dismissed from service. In one school under the Thiruvananthapuram Regional Deputy Director, 11 teachers were appointed without following the disability reservation rules. Some officers even accepted bribes via Google Pay for approving service benefits for aided teachers and non-teaching staff.

At the Kuttanad Education Office, two clerks from aided schools transferred Rs 77,500 to the Google Pay account of the senior clerk who handles aided school appointment approvals. At the Alappuzha Education Office, an officer received Rs 1,40,000 through Google Pay and could not give a proper explanation for the payment. In an aided school under the Thaliparamba Education Office in Kannur, three children who were not studying in the school, including one student enrolled in a Kendriya Vidyalaya, were shown as students to maintain a teacher post. In another aided school under the Thalassery Education Office, attendance records were manipulated to show 28 students in a class to retain a teacher post, but a direct inspection found only nine students.

These issues point to longstanding corrupt practices inside the General Education Department. Even higher officials may not be fully aware of what is happening. Without the surprise vigilance inspections, none of this would have come to light. Education Minister V. Sivankutty has said that strict action will be taken against all officials found guilty, showing that the government is treating the matter very seriously.

Vigilance must continue such inspections regularly. When corrupt officials realise that they are constantly being watched, they may try newer methods of corruption, and Vigilance must be prepared to detect and prevent those as well. Retired officials found acting as intermediaries should face strict action, including cancellation of pension benefits, to effectively deter such wrongdoing.