E-Paper
Govt school cleaners duped: Principal wrote to Chandigarh education dept about ‘NGO’ in November
In the aftermath of the scam, where a conman allegedly duped around 100 individuals of an estimated sum of ₹50-60 lakh, the Chandigarh education department had taken action against the principals of 10 schools implicated in the affair, suspending them for dereliction of duty
Days after the principals of 10 government schools were suspended by the UT education department after some school cleaners were duped by a fake contractor, it has come to light that the Government Middle School (GMS), Sector 26 Bapu Dham Colony (BDC) had written a letter to the district education officer (DEO) back in November, informing about the engagement of cleaners from a Delhi-based NGO “Venus.”
However, the DEO did not take cognisance of the matter, raising questions about administrative oversight.
The letter from GMS, Sector 26 BDC (copy with HT) dated November 2, 2023, read, “This is submitted that GMS 26 has hired services of sweepers free of cost from Delhi-based NGO ‘Venus’ that is also providing services of sweepers free of cost in some other schools of Chandigarh education department.”
Despite the prior notification, the education department seemingly failed to act, highlighting a lapse in protocoland accountability within the system.
In 2019, the UT education department had disallowed the direct involvement of schools with various organisations. All the heads of government schools were directed to avoid interactions with such organisations without the approval of the competent authority.
Director school education Harsuhinder Pal Singh Brar said, “There is a systematic protocol in place whereby the education department determines the appropriateness of engaging NGOs in schools. Committees assess the involvement of respective organisations after thorough examination. This protocol was communicated to all school heads in 2019 and reiterated in 2021. In this case, it is evident that the protocol was blatantly overlooked by both the principals and the DEO.”
The modus operandi involved a contractor, Rajiv Kumar, a resident of Ram Darbar, masquerading as an NGO representative under the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, promising to provide cleaners to 10 schools in Chandigarh.
Principals were assured by the contractor that cleaners would be provided without the need for payment directly from the schools. The contractor falsely claimed to be in touch with the DEO.
According to police officials, the cleaners were initially paid a meagre sum of ₹10,000 per month but were later left unpaid, leading to resentment.
The contractor along with his aunt established a network through word of mouth, promising regularisation at DC rates, after initial contract work.
The accused has allegedly duped around 100 individuals of an estimated sum of ₹50-60 lakh, said police.
In the aftermath of the scam, the education department had taken action against the principals of 10 schools implicated in the affair, suspending them for dereliction of duty.
Additionally, a committee was formed to probe the incident and suggest improvements to standard operating procedures (SOPs) to prevent future occurrences.
