Education Deptt recommends setting aside of Class IV appointments made by CEOs

Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Feb 26: Taking serious note of grave irregularities in the selection of large number of Class IV employees, School Education Department has recommended to the Government setting aside of all such appointments and initiation of fresh process strictly in accordance with the laid down criteria and in most transparent manner.
Highly placed sources in Civil Secretariat told EXCELSIOR that in view of numerous complaints from various quarters regarding blatant violation of laid down criteria during the appointments of Class IV employees at the district level by the Chief Education Officers (CEOs), Secretary of the School Education Department found it imperative to get the issue thoroughly examined under his direct supervision.
Accordingly, Secretary of the Department, Shaleen Kabra got entire record pertaining to these appointments in various districts of Jammu and Kashmir provinces scrutinized during which it was established that majority of these appointments were made by throwing rules to winds, sources said.
“On the basis of available record, the Secretary has come to the conclusion that malafide attention and ulterior motives prevailed upon the merit in majority of such appointments and beneficiaries of this illegal exercise were the blue-eyed and non-deserving candidates, who were enjoying the patronage of politicians and officers”, they disclosed.
They informed that between August 2014 and till the enforcement of Model Code of Conduct for the Assembly elections in the month of October 2014, the Chief Education Officers (CEOs) of all the districts excepting that of Leh and Kargil issued notifications inviting applications for the posts of Class IV.
However, majority of the CEOs didn’t mention the laid down criteria for the marks (both for academic qualification and interview) in the notifications on the directions of the then Minister Incharge School Education Department and Deputy Chief Minister, Tara Chand so that blue-eyed and non-deserving candidates enjoying the political and bureaucratic clout could get appointed.
As part of this strategy, many CEOs, on the receipt of applications, changed the marks criteria for academic qualification and interviews so as to ensure that blue-eyed and non-deserving candidates could sail through and get appointed, sources said while disclosing 60% weightage was given to academic qualification as against 80% laid down in the original criteria and 40% for the interview as against 20% fixed in the Government norms.
Moreover, shortlisting of the candidates was conducted in such a manner that favourite candidates could appear in the interviews. While some CEOs carried out shortlisting on 1:20 ratio, others went to the extent of 1:40 as against laid down criteria of 1:5, sources revealed, adding “some extra courageous CEOs even invited all the candidates for interviews”.
“The conspiracy to confer undue benefits upon blue eyed candidates didn’t end there and many CEOs even tampered the record at the final stage so as to ensure that such candidates get appointed at any cost”, sources said, adding some CEOs also flouted norms while constituting interview committees so that instruction from the political bosses gets implemented as per their choice.
Though following detection of grave irregularities in case of Jammu district, the CEOs of other districts of Jammu region chose not to publish the selection list, their counterparts in many districts of Kashmir valley went ahead and even gave effect to the appointments.
It is pertinent to mention here that the then Chief Education Officer Jammu, who was later booked by the State Vigilance Organization for bungling in selection of Class IV employees, made selection of 90 candidates. Out of these, 15 candidates had not even submitted their application forms before the concerned Zonal Education Officers in pursuance to the advertisement notice.
In respect of 13 selected candidates, academic marks/points were fraudulently increased in order to confer undue benefit upon them while as six candidates did not appear for the interview and despite this they were selected by raising their academic marks/points. A total of 33 undeserving candidates figured in the select list issued by the then Chief Education Officer, Jammu.
Making cases of Jammu and Budgam districts as glaring instances of abuse of law for making illegal appointments, Secretary School Education Department has recommended to the Government that all such appointments shall be set-aside and fresh process be initiated strictly in accordance with the laid down criteria and in most transparent manner.
“The recommendation of the Secretary School Education Department will surely go a long way in restoring the faith of public in the recruitment process”, sources said.

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