Maha school education dept to undertake major staff mapping drive
The education department will map all teaching and non-teaching staff positions based on sanctioned posts approved under the 'Sanction Structure' and match these with salary records in the 'Shalarth' portal, which is the official system used for processing school staff payments. This data compilation is expected to be completed by the end of June 2025.
As per the information shared by the education department, the process is being implemented to prevent irregularities such as payments to unauthorised or bogus staff and to ensure that only valid, sanctioned positions receive government funding. Strict action, including withholding of salaries, will be taken against teachers and schools delaying or neglecting the data submission.
Official directives have already been issued Monday to all government, fully- and partially- aided secondary schools to begin the mapping process. Responsibility for accurate submission of data has been placed on school heads and principals. The mapping will utilise the Application Programming Interface (API) provided by the National Informatics Centre (NIC) to cross-check the information in the Sanction Structure with that in the Shalarth portal, ensuring data synchronisation and validity.
According to the latest notification issued by the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education, schools will not be allowed to process salary payments beyond the highest sanctioned position listed in the Sanction Structure. Technical adjustments are being made in the Shalarth system to enforce this restriction.
Importantly, the directive mentions that higher secondary schools must upload a PDF copy of their Sanction Structure mapping before releasing July salaries in August. Failure to do so will result in non-disbursement of staff salaries, the department has warned. This move is being seen as part of a broader push by the state government to eliminate misuse of public funds and increase transparency in the management of school staff and resources. The initiative is also expected to bring accountability among school managements and curb the influence of politically-backed illegal appointments.
'We are taking a data-driven approach to ensure that only legitimate employees are drawing salaries from government funds. The mapping of posts and salary systems will bring transparency and accountability at every level. Schools must cooperate fully; this is not just a financial audit, it's a structural reform,' said a senior education officer on condition of anonymity.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
2 days ago
- Hindustan Times
Education officers call off stir after govt assurances on Shalarth ID arrests
Pune: The state-wide agitation announced by the All Maharashtra Education Service Gazetted Officers and Employees Union has been temporarily called off after the state government assured that no innocent officers or employees would face wrongful arrest in the ongoing Shalarth ID fraud probe. All Maharashtra Education Service Gazetted Officers and Employees Union called off state-wide agitation after the state assured that no innocent officers or employees would face wrongful arrest in Shalarth ID fraud probe. (HT) The 'mass leave' agitation, which began on August 8, was initiated to protest what the union described as arbitrary arrests of education department officers and staff in various districts without proper investigation. The Shalarth ID fraud, involving alleged irregularities in the department's salary and service record management system, has prompted a wave of arrests by the police across the state in the recent weeks. On August 12, school education minister Dada Bhuse and education department principal secretary Ranjitsingh Deol met with union office-bearers to discuss their demands. Following what the union described as a 'positive response', the agitation was suspended with immediate effect. Key assurances given by the government included no officer or employee will be arrested without prior investigation. All cases related to bogus Shalarth entries, including those in the Nagpur division, will be handed over to the special inquiry committee constituted by the state government. Officers suspended in connection with the fraud will be reinstated to service after due police department will be officially informed, at the government level, about the union's demands and concerns. The union stated that the minister and principal secretary had firmly assured that 'no innocent officer or employee will face wrongful action'. Jyoti Parihar of the union said, 'We have been protesting for the past few weeks. Finally, the education minister has given us an assurance that he will look into the matter and has accepted our demands. However, if this does not happen in the coming days, we will resume our protest.' While the agitation has been suspended, the union has warned that if any arrest is carried out in violation of these assurances in the future, the protest will be resumed without prior notice. The union has appealed to all gazetted officers and employees of the education service to resume duty from August 13.
Time of India
3 days ago
- Time of India
Day 2: Edu officers' mass leave protest affects administrative work
Nagpur: Class 1 and 2 education officers across Maharashtra, under the banner of the Akhil Maharashtra Rajya Shikshan Seva Rajpatrit Adhikari Sangh, continued their mass leave agitation on Monday. This, technically, marked the second day of their statewide protest against what they term the "high-handedness" of police in the ongoing probe into the Shalarth ID scam. The agitation began on Friday, but the intervening weekend holidays meant its impact was only felt in earnest as offices reopened. The association members will meet school education minister Dada Bhuse and the principal secretary in Mumbai on Tuesday. According to association members, the protest is not against the investigation itself but against the manner in which it is being conducted. Officials allege that the probe is marked by arbitrary questioning, extended hours of interrogation, and sudden arrests, creating an atmosphere of fear within the department. "Education officers at district, deputy, and block levels are all on leave. This is a collective stand to demand fairness and transparency in the process," said a senior association representative. The group has sought a written assurance from the state govt that no officer will be harassed or detained without substantial evidence. On Monday, the absence of these senior officers began affecting routine administrative functions but its strong impact was not yet felt. In some places, including Nagpur, charge is being handled by other officials, hence the impact was not visible so far. However, sources say as the days progress the impact will be visible because the files will start to pile up as the in-charge officials also have to cater to their primary job. A Special Investigation Team (SIT) formed by Nagpur police is currently probing the scam, which involves alleged misuse and creation of fake Shalarth IDs for financial irregularities. It's the arrests made by this team which riled up education officers. The association claims its members are cooperating fully with the probe and are willing to provide all necessary documents and clarifications. However, they maintain that sudden arrests without "strong reasons" are unacceptable. Stay updated with the latest local news from your city on Times of India (TOI). Check upcoming bank holidays , public holidays , and current gold rates and silver prices in your area.
Hindustan Times
7 days ago
- Hindustan Times
State appoints IAS-headed SIT to probe teacher recruitment scam
Mumbai: The Maharashtra government on Thursday formed a special investigation team (SIT) to investigate the alleged teacher recruitment fraud in all aided and partially aided schools across the state. The SIT has also been asked to find out the discrepancies in the existing procedure of approving teaching and non-teaching staff. (HT Photo for representation) Pune divisional commissioner Chandrakant Pulkundwar will head the three-member team. Manoj Sharma, inspector general of police (law and order), and Harun Attar, joint director of the education directorate, are the other members. The SIT has been tasked with investigating all teacher recruitments conducted since 2012, according to a government resolution (GR) issued by the state school education department on Thursday. The team has been asked to submit its report in the next three months, stated the order signed by the department's principal secretary, Ranjit Singh Deol. The recruitment fraud, also known as the Shalarth ID scam, first surfaced in Nagpur, where 580 fake teachers and non-teaching staff were found to have been recruited in 12 government-aided schools by allegedly using fake signatures and documents. Senior school education department officials are allegedly involved in the fraud. After the Nagpur fraud came to light, similar complaints were filed in other parts of the state as well. Shalarth is a centralised portal of the state government to manage payroll and service records of staff in government and government-aided schools, including teachers. Shalarth ID refers to the teacher identification number allotted to such staffers. Investigators found that fake identities were used to disburse salaries through the Shalarth portal. The matter was discussed in the state assembly during the monsoon session of the state legislature, with state school education minister Dada Bhuse assuring that an investigation would be launched. According to the terms of reference mentioned in the GR, the SIT will examine the transfers of teachers and non-teaching staff 'from non-grant-in-aid positions to grant-in-aid positions in all the aided and partially aided primary or secondary or higher secondary schools across all the divisional offices in the state.' The SIT has also been asked to find out the discrepancies in the existing procedure of approving teaching and non-teaching staff, and suggest reforms. 'The special investigation team should investigate all the above-mentioned issues for the period from 2012 to the present and submit its report to the government within three months,' the GR added. Govt officers announce strike Meanwhile, more than 400 senior officers from the state's school education department have launched an indefinite strike starting Friday, alleging harassment and unfair treatment by investigative agencies over issues related to Shalarth IDs and other school recognition matters. Members of the All Maharashtra Education Service Gazetted Officers Association claimed they were being unfairly targeted and that action was being taken against them in matters unrelated to their responsibilities. In some cases, they said that arrests and disciplinary actions were carried out without any prior inquiry or show-cause notice. According to the government officers, three deputy directors and two education officers were arrested without proper procedures and later suspended, even though they were cooperating with the investigation. No criminal charges have been proven, yet suspensions have been imposed, leading to a serious drop in morale across the department, they said. 'This kind of treatment of honest officers is demoralising and is affecting day-to-day functioning. The government has a duty to protect its honest staff. Arrests without inquiry and illegal suspensions must stop,' the association said in a statement.
