AGRA: The basic education department has issued notices to 17 teachers in the district, asking them to clarify the reason for long absence from the school within seven days. According to the notice, they will be terminated from service if they are not able to provide a valid reason for their absence. Some of these teacher have been absent from work since 2012.Of the 17 teachers who have been served notices, five are from Pinahat block, four from Barauli Ahir block, three from Khandauli, two from Bah and 1 each from Kheragarh , Akola and Fatehpur Sikri blocks. All of them are assistant teachers.According to sources, one teacher has been absent since 2012. He came and collected his appointment letter but has not shown up for work since then.In another case, a woman teacher at a Khandauli block primary school has been absent since 2013. Two women teachers of block Barauli Ahir have been absent since 2014. One woman teacher of Pinahat block has not reported to work since 2016. Besides, six teachers of Kheragarh, Khandauli, Barauli Ahir, Bah and Pinahat blocks have not showed up for work since 2017.Basic Shiksha Adhikari (BSA) Anand Prakash Sharma said, “Termination notices have been send to teachers for remaining absent from work for a long time without informing the department. Earlier, also notices were issued to these teachers by the block education officers but they did not respond. Now, there service will be terminated if they fail to appear within one week.”The BSA has sought details of teachers remaining continuously absent from all the block education officers at nyaya panchayat resource centres (NPRC).“It has surfaced in several cases that teachers take leave for two days and remain absent for five to 10 days. Frequent complaints are received regarding absence of teachers in schools. On basis of the attendance record, strict action will be taken in all such cases,” BSA said.Meanwhile, the basic education department is yet to take action against candidates who were appointed as assistant teachers on the basis of fake B.Ed degrees. Last year, state government had ordered the department to take action against those teachers who had submitted fake B.Ed marksheets in the name of Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar University for the 2004-05 session. A special investigation team (SIT) monitored by Allahabad high court had found that more than 2,000 candidates had used fake marksheets in the name of Agra University to get appointments as assistant teachers.

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