To get teaching jobs, they decided to became deaf

Many applicants who have been undergoing training in the Special Basic Teacher Course (BTC) to get appointed teachers at various primary schools across Uttar Pradesh, had submitted “fake disability certificates” to get the job.

“On checking the testimonials of 200 trainees, it was found that as many as 45 of them had submitted false disability certificates,” officials said here. A majority of them have claimed that they were deaf, officials added. The numbers could go up as hundreds of certificates were yet to be checked.

“The doctors who had issued them the certificates stating that they are deaf and can not hear anything have also increased the percentage of disability,” sources said. According to rules, a physically challenged person could claim benefits under the disability quota only when the percentage of disability was more than forty, they said.

Education department officials have launched an investigation to ascertain the authenticity of the disability certificates submitted by the candidates, they said.  “As many as 10 per cent physically challenged applicants have submitted false certificates stating that they are deaf,” the sources pointed out.

Interestingly, doctors did not conduct audiometric tests on the applicants before the issuance of the certificates, the investigations revealed. The Uttar Pradesh government recently appointed thousands of Bachelor of Education degree holders primary teachers.

These trained graduates are provided specialised training in the basic teaching course for a few months.  The state is facing an acute shortage of teachers in the primary schools, according to official figures.