NGO alleges fraud in affiliation process of private teacher education colleges

Arappor Iyakkam, an NGO focused on transparency in governance, has filed a complaint with the Tamil Nadu government alleging serious discrepancies in the affiliation inspection records of private teacher education colleges affiliated with the Tamil Nadu Teachers Education University (TNTEU) for the academic years 2023-24 and 2024-25.

According to the NGO, which obtained records under the Right to Information Act, at least 15 inspection committee conveners conducted in-person inspections in two to five colleges on the same day on March 29, 2023, with one convening inspections at five colleges on the same day. The NGO also found that the total distance between these colleges exceeded 500 km, and at least 22 members of inspection committees conducted inspections in two colleges on the same day.

Furthermore, five professors were recorded as principals of two colleges during the same period, and the names of 37 faculty members appeared across 222 college entries. The NGO has urged the government to conduct an independent inquiry into inspection reports, videos, attendance registers, travel and expense records, and faculty appointment and salary records, as well as a probe into the management of 74 colleges that received affiliation during 2023-24 and 2024-25.

Brief written by urgent.news from The Hindu's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.