The names of two daughters of Shiv Sena MLA Abdul Sattar Abdul Nabi from Sillod in Aurangabad have appeared among the list of candidates who have been debarred by the Maharashtra State Council of Exams (MSCE) for their involvement in the teacher eligibility test (TET) scam.
However, the MLA said his daughters had failed the TET in 2020. Sattar, who joined the Shinde faction of the Shiv Sena recently, blamed his political opponents for dragging his family into the cash-for-marks scandal. He termed it a calculated move ahead of the Cabinet expansion to diminish his prospects.
тАЬQuestion those officers in custody, did they meet me or anyone from my family till today? Who paid them the money to put my daughtersтАЩ names in the list? It is only today after the news flash that my daughters and I realised that there exists a TET-qualified certificate in their name. It is a joke that they would have indulged in a scam and then hid the certificate. Why would they work without pay and not take advantage of it so far? In fact, they are even dragging the name of my younger son who is giving his LLB exam right now. I am going to meet the CM and demand an inquiry into this,тАЭ Sattar said.
Last week, the MSCE released a list of over 7,800 TET candidates whose involvement was allegedly found in the scandal, which also had the names of SattarтАЩs daughters. (Express)
In December 2021, a scam unfolded in which it was revealed that thousands of TET candidates got their marks inflated and some even got fake certificates in lieu of cash. Last week, the MSCE released a list of over 7,800 TET candidates whose involvement was allegedly found in the scandal. Among the names that figure in the list are those of Heena Kausar Abdul Sattar Shaikh and Uzma Nahid Abdul Sattar Shaikh, daughters of MLA Abdul Sattar Abdul Nabi. Their eligibility in 2019 TET was cancelled and the two have been barred from appearing for the exam again.
Sattar, a three-time MLA who has seven children, said four of his daughters are teachers at family-run educational institutes affiliated to the zilla parishad. тАЬTwo of my elder daughters joined the service in 2009, hence they do not have to appear for TET as per the cut-off date of the education department. The younger two daughters joined in 2014 as teaching assistants on a stipend of Rs 6,000 per month, approved by the district education officer. On November 29, 2019 they filled the online form for TET and appeared for the exam on January 19, 2020 the results of which were declared on August 5, 2020 as per which they did not qualify the exam,тАЭ he said.
тАЬImmediately, their stipends were stopped and since then, they have been working without salary at these schools. So how did their names appear on the list of TET passed candidates on August 28, 2020? And if they passed the TET through the scam, why didnтАЩt they take the benefit of this certificate? Every government office, right from block education officer to deputy director of education, was notified that the girls are not TET qualified, at no government office was such a certificate of TET qualification submitted. So how did their names appear in the list now?тАЭ Sattar asked.
As per the RTE Act, all teachers who wish to teach in any government, aided or unaided school need to clear the TET, which tests teachersтАЩ skills in mathematics, language and science. The test conducted by MSCE Pune has had an overall low pass percentage in Maharashtra. In the wake of the allegations, the cyber wing of Pune city police had earlier arrested Tukaram Supe, head of MSCE Pune, and IAS officer Sushil Khodwekar.
