UP teacher 'worked' at 25 schools simultaneously; 'earned' Rs 1 crore in 13 months

LUCKNOW: A full-time science teacher employed in Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya (KGBV), a residential setup for girls from weaker sections of society, allegedly "worked" at 25 schools simultaneously, earning a total of over Rs 1 crore as salaries from these schools over 13 months till February, 2020.

She was able to pull this off despite real-time monitoring of teachers' attendance in UP's schools, including KGBVs.

A native of Mainpuri, according to the records in all the schools she "worked" in, Anamika Shukla was on the rolls of these schools for over a year. According to the director-general of school education, Vijay Kiran Anand, a probe is underway to ascertain the facts about this teacher who has gone incommunicado.


‘How can one teacher be present at so many places?’
“How can a teacher mark her presence at several places even when they are supposed to mark their attendance online on the Prerna portal? It needs a thorough probe," said Anand, who in March received a complaint regarding Shukla.

"We had asked our officers to investigate the matter. Due to the lockdown her records couldn’t be traced. I had sent a reminder to officers on May 26. Strict action will be taken if the information about the teacher is found true," Anand told TOI.

"We have no clue about her original posting. We are getting it verified from the districts stated in the complaint. If true, an FIR will be lodged." Shukla’s employment has been found in KGBVs in districts like Ambedkar Nagar, Baghpat, Aligarh, Saharanpur and Prayagraj, to name a few. KGBV teachers are appointed on contract and are paid approximately Rs 30,000 per month. Each block in a district has one Kasturba Gandhi School.

When asked whether Anamika was using the same bank account for all the schools, Anand said, "We will know once the inquiry is over." Sources said the anomaly came to light when a database of teachers was being created on the Manav Sampada portal. It required teachers’ personal records, date of joining and promotion. Once the records were uploaded, it was found that an Anamika Shukla, with the same personal details, had been listed at 25 schools.

Shukla was last found working in Rae Bareli's KGBV till February, when her case came to light. As per Rae Bareli's basic education officer, Anand Prakash, the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan office had issued a letter to six districts to check in their KGBVs about a teacher named Anamika Shukla. "Though Rae Bareli was not named in the letter, as a precautionary measure we crosschecked and found the woman was working at our KGBV also. A notice was issued to her," he said.

"She was asked to report to us but she didn’t. Her documents, available with us, have been sent for verification at a higher level. Her salary was immediately stopped," Prakash told TOI.

Rae Bareli’s district coordinator (girls’ education) Anil Tripathi confirmed that Shukla had been reaching at the district’s KGBV. "She was a teacher in KGBV, Rae Bareli. I don’t know where else she has been working," he said.