Rautahat, October 30

It is reported that District Education Officer Ram Binaya Kumar Singh of Rautahat approved the transfer of as many as 35 teachers and adjusted them in the district violating the election code of conduct.

The election code of conduct strictly prohibits transfer and promotion of government employees. However, DEO Singh transferred teachers by taking other employees of the office into confidence.

The matter came to light after the authorities seized some transfer approval documents and a huge amount of money that the DEO had taken from teachers. It was found that DEO Singh prepared transfer documents with fake date. He back-dated the transfer orders by stating July-August on the forged documents.

The forged documents show that Singh had approved the transfer of Rakesh Kumar Thakur to Rautahat from Lamjung’s Jokaha Secondary School on July 26 and transferred Jaya Balak Bhagat to Rampurkhap Primary School from a school yet to be ascertained in the same month. According to a DEO source, DEO Singh gave approval to transfer of those teachers taking at least Rs 300,000 to Rs 500,000 from each teacher through third persons. DEO Singh was also found giving licence to as many as 21 new private schools by taking bribe from school owners.

As per Education Act 2059, an institutional school is granted licence only after approval from the district education committee. He has exceeded the number of teachers’ quota fixed by the interim order of the Supreme Court, and adjusted teachers on his own. Issuing an interim directive, the Supreme Court had prohibited transfer and quota adjustment of teachers on September 4.

Jaya Mangal Prasad, a teacher, said the education system was getting worse in the district.