In Tamil Nadu, a disturbing trend has emerged among some primary school teachers who hire unqualified substitutes to take classes in their absence, paying them minimal wages out of their own pockets. This practice, which puts the education of children in government-run schools at risk, has sparked concern among low-income parents who rely on these institutions for their children’s foundational education.
The issue came to light after a recent investigation by the prominent Tamil weekly Kumudham. The report exposed the case of K. Balaji, a teacher at Ramiyampatti Middle School in Dharmapuri’s Arur Education District, who was reportedly absent frequently. Upon inquiry, it was revealed that Balaji had employed a substitute to cover his classes, raising doubts over whether these replacements could provide the quality education essential for young students.
This practice has raised serious questions about the oversight and accountability of government school teachers, particularly in rural areas, and its potential impact on students’ learning and future career foundations.
The recent report by Kumudam Weekly has unveiled a troubling trend in Tamil Nadu’s primary schools, particularly those with only one or two teachers. The investigation alleges that many schools are hiring unqualified “fake teachers” as stand-ins, paid out of the regular teachers’ government salaries. These arrangements are reportedly being concealed with the help of local education officers.
The report highlights that this issue is especially prevalent in “one-teacher schools,” where limited staff manage multiple classes. Out of approximately 11,000 such schools across the state, the investigation claims that around 10,000 may be engaged in this deceptive practice, raising concerns about the quality of education provided to students in these schools.
அரசுப் பள்ளிகளில் 10,000 போலி ஆசிரியர்கள்? | Kumudam News#governmentschool #faketeachers #kumudamnews #kumudamnews24x7 pic.twitter.com/Rvkuy0Tjhu
— Kumudam News 24×7 (@kumudamNews24x7) November 8, 2024
Madhumathi, Principal Secretary of the School Education Department, has confirmed the troubling practice of primary school teachers appointing unqualified substitutes to cover their classes in Tamil Nadu, saying the department is aware of the issue and has taken action in specific cases. “After a similar incident at Pammathukulam Panchayat Union Primary School in Tiruvallur, where officials discovered inflated student numbers, the District Education Officer (DEO) and the Headmaster were removed from their posts,” Madhumathi stated.
In another case, the DEO of a government-aided school in Koliyanur, Viluppuram, was dismissed following an investigation that revealed fraudulent student enrollment and substitute teaching practices. Madhumathi noted that, in response to these revelations, the state has launched a comprehensive investigation into the use of “fake teachers” across schools, promising strict action against teachers and education officials found involved in such misconduct.
Concerns have been raised over teachers’ attendance irregularities, particularly in remote and rural schools, where low-income parents lack the time and resources to monitor the situation closely. Reports allege that some teachers visit schools only once a week or fortnight to mark attendance while spending their time engaged in money lending, farming, or other private businesses. The Tamil Nadu government, under the Dravidian model, has been accused by critics of prioritizing hefty salaries and other benefits for teachers over effective monitoring, which some suggest has led to this absenteeism.
In 2024-25, following a request from teachers’ welfare associations, the School Education Department reduced the academic calendar’s working days from 220 to 210. This reduction is criticized by some as a further relaxation for an already privileged group. “We’ve heard of shareholders appointing proxies for voting or power agents managing properties, but school teachers appointing proxies to teach may be a unique achievement of the Dravidian model,” remarked a critic, highlighting the severe implications of this growing trend.
In August this year, Tamil Nadu BJP spokesperson ANS Prasad highlighted a severe blow to the reputation of Anna University, one of India’s premier institutions, due to a fake professor appointment scam across its affiliated engineering colleges. “This egregious scandal has tarnished the university’s esteemed standing,” Prasad stated, adding that despite the diligent efforts of Tamil Nadu Governor R.N. Ravi to address the issue, the scam has sent shockwaves across the state.
Prasad revealed that an astonishing 972 professors have been implicated, with some individuals holding positions in multiple colleges, underscoring a blatant display of academic dishonesty. Incriminating documents were reportedly found in 295 engineering colleges, leading to notices being issued to 150 colleges in connection with the investigation.
ஐயா பேராசிரியரே, நீங்க உண்மையில் எந்த கல்லூரியில் தான் வேலை செய்கிறீர்கள்?
தமிழ்நாட்டின் தனியார் பொறியியல் கல்லூரிகளின் இந்த அவல நிலையை சரி செய்ய என்ன செய்ய போகிறீர்கள்? @rajbhavan_tn @CMOTamilnadu @KPonmudiMLA @mkstalin @AICTE_INDIA
லட்சக்கணக்கில் பணத்தை கொட்டி பிள்ளைகளை… pic.twitter.com/g5axzizdu5
— Arappor Iyakkam (@Arappor) July 30, 2024
In Tamil Nadu, the practice of appointing proxies and holding multiple professorial positions simultaneously using the same Aadhaar and other identification documents has reportedly persisted for years. This is not the first scandal impacting Anna University; in 2019, the institution faced a major “marks-for-cash” controversy. Reports surfaced that numerous students had paid to inflate their scores during answer script evaluations, resulting in the suspension of Anna University’s former Controller of Examinations (CoE) over alleged irregularities in the revaluation process. This practice of bribing to secure higher marks is commonly referred to as “paper chasing.”
Further allegations suggest that even the positions of Vice Chancellors in the state’s universities come with price tags reaching into crores, fueling a demand to bring universities under state control. This led the Tamil Nadu government to pass resolutions in the state assembly to make the Chief Minister the pro-chancellor of state universities, but this move failed to gain the governor’s consent.
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