Crackdown on fake PhD, MPhil certificates: 200 guest faculty resign across Karnataka
Bengaluru: At least 200 guest faculty members working in government degree colleges across state have reportedly resigned amid a probe into alleged submission of fake PhD and MPhil certificates, Deccan herald reported on Friday.
According to Higher Education Department sources said that the development comes after the department took action to verify the authenticity of the PhD and MPhil certificates submitted by the candidates while joining the job.
The move comes after complaints were filed alleging that some faculty members had submitted forged doctoral and MPhil certificates. A few of the complaints were also lodged with the Lokayukta, prompting further scrutiny.
“With the fear of getting caught, some guest faculty members have submitted their resignations,” a department source said. Most of the resignations are reported from districts in North Karnataka.
Meanwhile, the sources confirmed that even the Lokayukta has sought a report from the department on documents submitted by a few faculty members.
Officials said some candidates allegedly used counterfeit PhD certificates to bypass the mandatory National Eligibility Test (NET) or Karnataka State Eligibility Test (KSET) qualification required under University Grants Commission (UGC) regulations.
“If the candidates have submitted a PhD certificate from a state-run university, there are no issues. But the problem is, some candidates have submitted PhD or MPhil from universities outside Karnataka, which is suspicious,” the official said.
Department commissioner Manjushree N reportedly said, “We will soon issue a comprehensive SOP detailing the procedures for document verification and scrutiny.”
In a similar case in 2017, the Karnataka Examinations Authority barred 40 candidates from assistant professor interviews after detecting fake PhD certificates, reportedly issued by universities in neighbouring states.
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Bihar: Over 150 children fall ill after consuming 'mid-day meal' in Saharsa
Saharsa (PTI): More than 150 children were taken ill after allegedly consuming food that was part of the mid-day meal in a school in Bihar’s Saharsa district, a senior official said on Thursday.
The incident occurred at a middle school in Baluaha village of the district.
The official said that 115 children were undergoing treatment at the Sadar Hospital, while around 50 students were admitted to Mahishi Public Health Centre.
“We received information that several children fell ill after consuming the mid-day meal in Baluaha. The children were initially treated at the primary health centre, but later, many were referred to the Sadar Hospital,” Saharsa District Magistrate Deepesh Kumar told reporters.
“According to doctors, the health condition of the children has improved, but they will be kept under observation for some time. There is no need to panic. Some kids are having mild fever. They are being treated accordingly,” Kumar said.
Meanwhile, family members of some children claimed that a snake was found in the container in which cooked pulses was stored at the school.
Of the 545 students present in the school, 200 had already eaten their meals by the time the snake was spotted, and later complained of stomach ache and vomiting, they said.
Regarding the claims, the DM said food samples have been collected from the school.
“We will be able to comment on this only after the results of the tested samples arrive,” he said.
