In CBSE Affiliation Fraud, Manipur Probe Team Checking Who Signed Papers

A three-member team looking into how 25 schools in violence-hit Manipur applied for CBSE affiliation without the state government's permission will give its report by January 5, people with direct knowledge of the matter said.

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) on December 19 cancelled the affiliation of the 25 schools in the hill districts of Churachandpur and Kangpokpi.

The CBSE action came four days after the state government in a statement said it had not issued the no-objection certificates (NOCs) that the schools had given to the central board while applying for affiliation.

The CBSE's bylaws make it a must for state board schools to bring NOCs from the state government before applying to the central board.

The three-member team is checking who are the officers who issued the NOCs to the schools illegally, and whether other people have forged the signatures on the NOC papers, sources said. The team will also suggest what action should be taken against those found guilty.

Manipur school education department director L Nandakumar Singh is leading the investigation team. The department's additional director (valley) Bisheshwar Khumukcham, and additional director (hills) Dangmei Manglem are the two other members, people familiar with the matter said.

The controversy started after local Congress worker Lamtinthang Haokip, who lost the 2022 assembly election from Saitu seat, on December 14 posted on X (formerly Twitter) that 20 schools in Churachandpur and 16 in Kangpokpi have been successfully affiliated to the CBSE.

The change of the education board from state to central in the two hill districts was seen as a soft attempt at formalising a new arrangement, since clashes between the Kuki tribes and the Meiteis began on May 3. The Kuki tribes have been demanding what they call a "separate administration" carved out of Manipur.

A day after Mr Haokip's social media post, Manipur Education Minister Th Basanta told reporters the state government has not given NOCs to any school since May 2020. Mr Basanta then met the Union Education Ministry secretary and gave a letter explaining the issue, following which the CBSE cancelled the affiliations of the 25 schools.

The CBSE SARAS 4.0 website on December 20 removed the 25 schools in Kangpokpi and Churachandpur from its list of affiliated schools. SARAS is short for 'School Affiliation Re-Engineered Automation System' that updates in real-time the affiliation status of over 28,900 schools across India.

The government has narrowed down to an education officer in Kangpokpi and a former education officer in Churachandpur for allegedly handing out NOCs without the knowledge of the state government, people familiar with the matter in the education department had told NDTV on December 20.

Eleven of the 25 schools got CBSE affiliation in the period between May 2020 and May 2023, and 14 received affiliation in the past six months.

In Churachandpur, none of the four schools that lost CBSE affiliation had working phone numbers. One had only '0000' as the contact number. Not having working phones and having inconsistent details such as the phone number or address of the principal turning out to be of a relative are violations of the CBSE's bylaws.

"The situation in Manipur after May 3 was such that functioning under the state board was becoming impossible. We have to go to Imphal for exam coordination and other state board work. How would that be possible?" the principal of a Kangpokpi school freshly affiliated with the CBSE told NDTV on December 20, requesting anonymity, before the affiliation was withdrawn.

Another school principal in Kangpokpi said they have followed due process in applying for NOC, and showed the letters they have written to the education department seeking NOC for education board switch. Though this principal could not show the education department's response, he showed the NOC they have received from the zonal education officer.

The hill district school principals cited difficulty in coordinating with the education department at a time when battle lines have been clearly drawn on the basis of ethnicity and deep mistrust. All the principals NDTV spoke to in Kangpokpi requested anonymity.

The state government, however, has indicated it would take action against more schools including withdrawing their affiliation if any of them is again found not following due process.

"The principals are not thinking right. What are they implying? Short-circuit administrative processes amid the unfortunate outbreak of violence? No one said NOC won't be given. All of us work for students. Questionable and unethical decisions by some school administrations can't be allowed to harm the future of students," a senior officer in the education department who was among a small team that looked into the initial investigation in the CBSE affiliation matter told NDTV on December 20.

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