Gurgaon: Twelve private schools in Nuh and Palwal districts, which allegedly obtained recognition using forged documents, are set to be blacklisted. Haryana education department’s imminent action — including FIRs — follows a detailed departmental investigation that found serious irregularities in the records submitted by these institutions. “About 11 such schools are in Nuh district while one in Palwal. The department had started the investigation three months back and simultaneously asked the schools to come with documents,” an official told TOI.The department is set to initiate the process of filing FIRs against their management, with the matter also being examined for “possible involvement of the police and the department’s cyber cell”, officials told TOI. Considering the seriousness of the allegations, the department is also exploring the possibility of filing separate FIRs at a cyber police station. The role of the education department’s IT cell has also come under scrutiny in the investigation. The department is looking beyond the 12 schools identified during the present investigation. It has decided to examine documents submitted by private schools that obtained recognition over the past two to three years.The investigation was conducted by a committee constituted under the chairmanship of an additional director of secondary education. Besides the chairperson, the committee included an assistant director and other department officials. It was assigned the responsibility of examining the documents submitted by the schools, verifying their authenticity and establishing whether the institutions had followed the prescribed norms to obtain recognition. The committee was also asked to ascertain whether the schools had submitted genuine affidavits and supporting documents as required under the rules.The irregularities came to light during an extensive verification exercise. The schools allegedly used forged land documents, fire safety certificates and other mandatory papers to obtain recognition from the department. The committee submitted its findings to the education department. After examining the report, the department has initiated preparations to hand over complaints against the concerned school managements to the police for registration of FIRs.The department is also examining the legal provisions and the procedure to be followed before initiating action. Officials are of the view that responsibility must be fixed on school operators who secured recognition by submitting forged documents, rather than limiting the action to verification of paperwork. The IT cell is examining how various documents were processed and whether the verification mechanism failed to identify the alleged fraud. The investigation has also raised questions about the role of officials who were responsible for checking the documents before recognition was granted.The education department’s IT cell is examining the complaints to determine whether the alleged forgery involved manipulation of documents or misuse of the online system. Officials are also considering whether the matter should be referred to the cyber police for a detailed investigation. If a complaint is lodged, the police will examine the role of those who prepared the allegedly forged documents as well as those who may have facilitated their submission and use in the recognition process.
