The Karnataka government suspended five officers of the Deputy Director of Public Instruction (DDPI) cadre in the Department of School Education and Literacy (DSEL) on January 30 for dereliction of duty in the implementation of the Inclusive Education for Disabled at Secondary Stage (IEDSS) scheme.
An FIR has been registered against 56 officials of the DSEL and 22 non-governmental organisations (NGOs) for criminal offences such as forging documents during the implementation of the scheme.
N.H. Nagura, A.S. Hattahalli, S.A. Mujawar, B.H. Millana Shetty, and Pundalika, who were working as Block Education Officers (BEOs) at the time of the case and are currently working as officers in different sections of the department, are the suspended officers.
The IEDSS is a Central and State government-sponsored scheme to enable students with disabilities to pursue four years of secondary schooling after completing eight years of elementary schooling in an inclusive and enabling environment. It was launched in 2009-10. The scheme replaced the Integrated Education for Disabled Children (IEDC) scheme.
The IEDSS provides assistance for inclusive education of children with disabilities in classes four to seven. The scheme covers all children studying at the secondary stage in government, aided schools, with one or more disabilities as defined under the Persons with Disabilities Act, 1995, and the National Trust Act, 1999, in classes four to seven, namely blindness, low vision, leprosy cured, hearing impairment, locomotory disabilities, mental retardation, mental illness, autism, and cerebral palsy, and may eventually cover speech impairment, learning disabilities, etc.
Funds are released per student for student-oriented components, such as medical and educational assessment, books and stationery, uniforms, transport allowance, reader allowance, stipend for girls, support services, assistive devices, board and lodging facility, therapeutic services, teaching learning materials, etc.
The School Education Department is the implementing agency and it involves NGOs having experience in the field of education of children with disabilities in the implementation of the scheme.
However, according to sources, officials of department committed large-scale irregularities while releasing the grant for the implementation from 2009-10 to 2011-12. In this regard, in the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) meeting held on February 26, 2019, it was found that the authorities had released funds to non-existent NGOs. The PAC also recommended disciplinary action against the officials who recommended the release of funds to non-existent NGOs.
Then, the Comptroller and Auditor General report, dated May 13, 2022, objected to the release of additional funds to 18 NGOs and asked for refund.
The Commissioner of Public Instruction then prepared a chargesheet against 56 officials and other employees and submitted it to the government for disciplinary action. On the instructions of the government, an FIR was registered on September 19, 2023 against 56 accused officials and 22 NGOs.
Of the 56 officers named in the chargesheet, 16 approached the Karnataka State Administrative Tribunal (KSAT). The KSAT has issued a stay order in favour of eight officers. Of the remaining eight accused officers, three have retired from service and a civil case has been registered against them for causing financial loss to the department. The remaining five officers have been suspended from service.
