Education department: Six go into hiding after appointments found bogus

Relevant record also goes missing from district office in Narowal.

LAHORE:

Six people whose appointments to Education Department in Narowal were found bogus in an inquiry in February have gone into hiding to avoid further probe, The Express Tribune has learnt.

The inquiry ordered by the district coordination officer in August 2011 had summoned elementary school teachers Tayyaba Nawaz and Zuhra Sultana, primary school teachers Sahuda Begum and Naseem Bibi, junior clerk Muhammad Yameen and chowkidar Basharat Ali after their appointments in Government Girls High School Shahab Deekey were found to have been made in violation of due process.

The inquiry was launched on recommendation of the Narowal district monitoring officer (DMO) who found out about the six recruitments during a surprise visit to the school.

Local Governments assistant director Sajjad Munir, a member of the panel probing the case, said they had recorded statements of Education Department officials suspected of involvement in the matter.

He said the six officials had apparently stolen relevant record from the office of the executive district officer (Education) and gone missing after they were summoned by the inquiry committee. The inquiry committee has yet to question EDO (Education) Dr Shahzad Awan.

Talking to The Tribune, EDO Dr Awan confirmed that the recruitments were in violation of due process but rejected the impression that he was involved in the matter.

He said bogus appointment letters, attributed to his office, were prepared with help from an Information Technology teacher, Allah Rakha. Rakaha had been terminated and an FIR registered against the teachers after the matter came to his notice, he said.

The six appointments were made in June and July last year after the provincial government had lifted a ban on transfers and postings of teachers.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 14^th, 2012.