Alirajpur (Madhya Pradesh): In a bizarre incident, some school teachers from the tribal-dominated Alirajpur district complained that the four-member team of the Quality Council of India (QCI) allegedly demanded a bribe from them.
According to information, the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) engaged the team of QCI to assess the impact on the mental health and emotional well-being of students due to the closure of schools, COVID-19 and the shift towards online education.
The team was supposed to submit its report on a survey conducted in 50 government and private schools in the district between September 8 and 15.
But the four members of the team reached the school and started demanding the bribe by threatening the teachers.
Some teachers did not fulfil the illegal demand but some did.
The teachers of some schools of Laxmani Chacharia Udda village of Alirajpur district did not pay while Khumsingh Solanki, a teacher of secondary school Kharpai gave Rs 6,000, while Kamlesh Joshi of secondary school Ajanda gave Rs 10,000 and one private school operator gave Rs one thousand.
Some of the school teachers claimed that team members threatened them with losing their job or government action against them.
The matter came to light after some of the school teachers discussed the incident among themselves and came to know about the reality.
Teachers somehow gathered courage and narrated the entire incident to the district education officer. Arjun Singh Solanki, who immediately informed the commission's responsible officer Saumil Tyagi along with his senior officers.
DEO Arjun Singh Solanki said that a team was sent by NCPCR from Delhi and they were directed to inspect 50 schools.
We got a call that we have to look after the arrangements to get them to visit the schools. A vehicle was arranged by me and one of my teachers was sent to two or three schools. There was no complaint on that day, but today there was a complaint from Kharkhari School.
Teachers there complained that they were threatened and a demand was made for Rs 6000.
When we talked to senior officers, they said that they would be blacklisted and an FIR would be also lodged in the matter. Solanki added that they are looking to bring this information to the collectorís notice.
When contacted the district education officer Arjun Singh Solanki said that he got information about the team from the Child Commission. We cooperated with the team but came to know that the team has demanded a bribe from the school teachers which is completely against the law. We have conveyed the information to the concerned officials of the education and administrative department in the district.
On the other hand, Saumil Tyagi, an officer of the Child Rights Organisation said that he did not get any such complaint from other districts but admitted that they got a complaint from the Alirajpur district and said that they have already removed officers against whom the complaint was received.
