Madurai bench directs a thorough probe into officials allowing Aadhava Trust to recruit government school teachers. The inquiry focuses on alleged misconduct in the recruitment process.
The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court has instructed the school education department to carry out a comprehensive inquiry into the alleged misconduct of officials who permitted Aadhava Trust, a private entity, to hire teachers for government schools.
The controversy centers around Aadhava Trust, based in Arumuganeri, Thoothukudi, which, two years ago, embarked on a recruitment drive, ostensibly to fill over 3,000 vacant teaching positions in government schools across districts including Thoothukudi, Tirunelveli, Kanyakumari, Virudhunagar, and Madurai.
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The trust offered these positions at a nominal salary of Rs 5,000, significantly below the standard remuneration for such roles. Furthermore, it is reported that the trust demanded deposits ranging from Rs 2 lakh to Rs 5 lakh from each candidate, amassing a substantial sum before declaring bankruptcy. This left the recruited teachers unpaid for over six months and without any refund of their deposits, a situation that mirrors the plight faced by another NGO’s recruits in Thoothukudi.
The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court intervened in the legal battle against Aadhava Trust, initially overseeing negotiations for teacher reimbursements. However, the trust’s non-compliance prompted a deeper investigation, exposing collusion with education authorities.
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This collaboration allowed the trust to unlawfully bypass the official Teacher Recruitment Board (TRB). The court’s findings, including the collection of Rs. 24 crore in deposits from candidates, resulted in the denial of anticipatory bail for Balakumaresan, the trust’s director. The court’s actions emphasized the gravity of the misconduct.
The court’s investigation also focused on the chief education officer and district education officer, revealing their roles in facilitating Aadhava Trust’s provision of educational services without proper oversight. As a result, the court has directed an inquiry, led by the SED director, into the conduct of these officials and mandated corrective measures.
RTI responses obtained by activist J Michael Anto Jeenious shed light on the School Education department’s (SED) decision to allow the trust to engage with government schools. This decision was aimed at addressing the learning gap caused by the COVID-19 pandemic but was executed without formalizing any Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the trust, a step that is typically mandatory for such engagements.
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SM Gandhi Mallar has become the advocate for defrauded teachers, leading the call for justice, including the apprehension of Balakumaresan, who is still at large despite the court’s actions. The situation is compounded by the case of NEEM Trust Director Louis Rajkumar, who, although previously incarcerated for 63 days, has been granted bail but has not yet returned the deposits to the affected teachers.
