The Jammu and Kashmir High Court on Friday asked a schoolteacher to write an essay on the cow and solve beginner's mathematical questions in the courtroom, which the teacher failed completely. The court then called for the teacher’s blacklisting in employment as a teacher and directed the J&K government to check degrees of all the teachers appointed under the government’s Rehbar-e-Taleem (ReT) scheme.
Mohammad Imran Khan, a teacher at a government school under ReT, returned blank pages to the judge when asked to write an essay on the cow in both English and Urdu. On asserting that he had a command over mathematics, Justice Muzaffar Hussain Attar asked a lawyer to prepare a maths test of class IV standard for Mr. Khan. Mr. Khan got all answers wrong.
According to the marks certificates from Board of School Education, Delhi, Mr. Khan has secured 74 per cent marks in Urdu, 73 in English and 66 in mathematics in the class XII exams. Mr. Khan also has an undergraduate degree from an unknown university.
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“This case throws up startling [questions] and is a classic example of sale and purchase of degrees, for which many tuck shops are operating in the State,” Justice Attar said in the courtroom. “One does not know how many such candidates with such degrees stand appointed as teachers. In presence of such teachers, the youth will retard mentally and make the future dark for all”.
Justice Attar directed for a police case to be registered against the study centre that issued the degree. He also called for forming a committee to “find out fake degrees issued in favour of the candidates who have been selected as ReT teachers.” The judge asked for Mr. Khan to be blacklisted from being considered for a teaching post.