Officials are comparing the number of students physically present in classrooms with the information submitted by school principals through their login on the student portal
The scrutiny of the scam has cast suspicion on approvals granted to 742 schools in the district. Over 1,760 files relating to the period between 2016 and 2019 have been sent to the education directorate in Pune for verification. These include 761 files from the primary education department and 903 from the secondary department.
As part of the drive, officials are comparing the number of students physically present in classrooms with the information submitted by school principals through their login on the student portal, said director of education Sharad Gosavi. Gosavi said, “The verification drive involves physical visits to schools, and officials have been instructed to photograph these visits as evidence of the exercise. The exercise aims to ensure data accuracy and eliminate discrepancies in school-maintained records. Daily attendance registers, admission registers, and records on UDISE+ (Unified District Information System for Education Plus) portal are also being scrutinised. If differences are found between the actual student strength and the figures uploaded on official portals, the concerned schools will have to submit formal explanations. The exercise follows growing concerns over accuracy of school records, particularly amid investigations into irregularities in teacher appointments and individual approvals under Shalarth system. In Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district, the zilla parishad’s secondary education department ordered verification drive following a report that highlighted discrepancies and alleged Shalarth scam. The latest student-strength verification is aimed at checking the authenticity of school enrolment figures and ensuring that data submitted to education authorities reflects the actual reality on the ground.
Pune : A two-day physical verification drive began across Maharashtra schools on Friday to check if student enrolment numbers on official portals match actual classroom attendance and school records.