The Directorate of Inspection and Audit (DIA) under the education ministry has identified fake certificates of at least 760 teachers in non-government educational institutions across the country. DIA officials said they have checked the bachelor’s, master’s and diploma certificates as well as those offered by the Non-government Teachers’ Registration and Certification Authority (NTRCA). Of the 760 teachers, 511 obtained fake certicates from the NTRCA, 193 managed diploma certificates on computer and 56 have fake Bachelor of Education (BEd) certificates, the DIA officials added.

DIA sources said they have identified these fake certificates following a continuous investigation from 2013 to June 2018. They also said many other certificates are under the scanner.

Persons who want to get jobs in non-government educational institutions and enjoy monthly pay order (MPO) facilities must obtain certificates from the NTRCA following an exam.

The NTRCA has been issuing certificates since 2005 for candidates who want to do jobs in non-government secondary schools, colleges and madrasas.

The sources said they have proof of involvement of a section of NTRCA employees in this fraud.

“Fake certificates can be obtained from different places. But it cannot be said these certificates have been obtained from the NTRCA. Fake certificates are not acceptable at all. We will see it if we can get the list of fake certificates,” NTRCA chairman AMS Azhar told The Independent last week.

The sources said they have already sent the reports to the education ministry for further action against the fake certificate holders.

The Directorate of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education (DSHE) said tough action would be taken against teachers

with fake certificates as it is both illegal and unethical.

“We have detected at least 760 fake certificates belonging to teachers at the secondary

level. They are doing jobs with fraudulent certificates. We have made a report on it and sent it to the ministry for further action,” DIA director Prof. Ahmed Sajjad Rashid told The Independent recently.

“The ministry will issue show-cause notices to teachers holding fake certificates. The ministry will ask the management committee of educational institutions to take action against these teachers, as the committee is the authority that appointed these teachers,” he explained.

The management committee will inform the ministry what action has been taken against the teachers, Rashid said. According to rules, teachers who obtained fake certificates would lose jobs and have to return money to the government if they received salaries under the government’s monthly pay order (MPO) facility, he added.

The sources, however, said that the trend of obtaining fake certificates has declined as they are very active to scan the certificates of teachers. Many have been caught in the past and many teachers have lost their jobs.

“If the certificates are scrutinised properly by the authorities of the district education office, the tendency to use fake certificates will also decline,” said Rashid. He also said everybody should remember that teaching is a noble profession and it cannot be done with fake certificates.

Dhaka district education office sources said they are scrutinising certificates of teachers so that no one can do a job with a fake certificate.