Nagpur: The Shalarth ID scam has thrown the State’s Education Department into turmoil, triggering a wave of daily revelations and disruptions in administrative functioning. In the aftermath of the scandal, senior officials have been stationed at the Pune headquarters, scrutinizing files to identify fake teachers — resulting in a backlog of unresolved files and stalled operations across district offices, according sources.
Sources stated that due to the absence of key officials, particularly those dealing with medical reimbursements, pensions, and principalship transfers, junior staff are reportedly reluctant to sign off on pending cases. Administrative paralysis has gripped the department, with many senior officers’ cabins locked for weeks, severely affecting routine functioning.
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30 July 2025
Offices of the Primary and Secondary Education Officers and even the Joint Director’s office have been running on skeletal staff, as top officials have remained in Pune for over a month now. Surprisingly, no acting appointments have been made to temporarily fill these vacancies, leading to a situation where even basic file approvals are on hold, sources added.
According to insiders, the majority of pending files relate to teachers’ medical bills, retirement benefits, and school-level administrative approvals. With several school principals having retired recently, senior-most teachers are supposed to take charge — but these appointments require official sanction from education officers. In their absence, many schools are uncertain about who is authorized to send in salary bills, as only a principal’s signature is valid.
Simultaneously, urgent complaints from teachers and educational institutions remain unaddressed due to the vacuum in authority.
Supplementary exam centre planning in limbo
According to sources, the ripple effect of the administrative deadlock is being felt in the Divisional Examination Board as well. With no chairperson or secretary currently in office, files have stalled here too. The supplementary exams for Classes 10 and 12 are scheduled to begin from June 24, and exam centers must be finalized at least two weeks prior.
Although the list of examination centres has been prepared, it awaits the secretary’s approval, without which it cannot be finalized. Since exam centre details are printed on hall tickets, the delay is now threatening the entire planning and smooth conduct of the supplementary exams.
As the Education Department scrambles to contain the fallout of the Shalarth scam, administrative inefficiency and a leadership vacuum are beginning to take a toll — leaving students, teachers, and institutions in a state of uncertainty.
