NORTH LAKHIMPUR, Oct 1 - The admissions to Diploma in Elementary Education (D.El.Ed.) course under Open Distance Learning (ODL) in various teacher training institutes in Lakhimpur are full of irregularities involving huge amount of money, as alleged by some candidates appearing for TET examinations here.
The institutes which had started the D.El.Ed under ODL mode from May, 2017 closed the programme from March 31 this year. They, however, continued to enrol students in the same programme of studies in back dates by taking huge amount of fees. The institutes offering the course have been collecting fees of Rs 20,000 from candidates for admission in back dates by issuing receipts of only Rs 12,000.
The Basic Training Centre (BTC) in Azad, Lakhimpur is one such training institute where such a scam is allegedly happening. Apart from the BTC in Azad, Normal School in Dhakuwakhona, Madhya Subansiri College, Oboniri College, KKD College, NCD College and Mother Teresa School are also under scanner for alleged admission scam of back dated entry to the DEl.Ed course under ODL mode. The scam also includes some private and government schools where the head of the institutes have been allegedly receiving an amount of Rs 5000 each from each candidate for issuing experience certificates. Many heads of government institutes in Lakhimpur district are also allegedly taking money in exchange of providing the Dice Code of their schools for candidates for their D.El.Ed programme. Many money receipts issued by such institutes also do not have the District Information System for Education (DISE) Code. This has attracted TET aspirants from across the State to throng North Lakhimpur and Dhakuwakhona to collect D.El.Ed certificates with back dated admissions following the latest advertisement requiring the same degree as mandatory to appear in the eligibility examination.
It may be recalled that the Lakhimpur district administration set up an enquiry following allegations of irregularities in BTC Azad in June this year. The enquiry conducted by an ADC and the Principal of DIET, Lakhimpur found irregularities in the admission process of D.El.Ed programme in the institute. Amidst these allegations the Director of State Council of Education Research and Training suspended the coordinator of BTC, Azad, Lakhimpur from his services on Friday.
