Fraudulent Admissions in MP Schools Defraud Government of Lakhs; EOW Investigation Reveals 6 Schools Involved

Jabalpur: A major scam involving the Right to Education (RTE) scheme has come to light in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, where private schools allegedly manipulated admissions of economically weaker students to siphon off government funds. An investigation by the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) has revealed that six school operators, in collusion with nodal officers, falsely claimed admissions for 628 students, defrauding the government of lakhs of rupees.

Details of the Scam
The scam reportedly took place between 2011 and 2016. The EOW received complaints that certain private school operators were violating RTE regulations. Under the RTE Act, private schools are required to reserve 25% of their seats for children from economically weaker sections and below the poverty line. The government reimburses the fees for these students.

The investigation found that the accused schools had repeatedly listed the same students multiple times to manipulate the reimbursement amounts.

Scale of Financial Irregularities
Out of 466 private schools in Jabalpur that received a total of ₹3.27 crore as fee reimbursement, six schools were found to have falsely claimed ₹26.50 lakh through 628 fake admissions.

Schools and Individuals Named in the Case
The EOW has registered cases under charges including fraud, criminal conspiracy, and embezzlement, along with provisions under the Prevention of Corruption Act, against the following:

• Smita Children Academy: Operator Manish Asati and nodal officer Mrs. Chandra Koshta
• Ashaskari Adarsh Gyan Sagar Shiksha Shala: Operator Mrs. Nasreen Begum and nodal officer Mrs. Gul Nigar Khan
• Guru Public School: Operator Md. Taufiq and nodal officer Akhtar Begum
• Asmania Middle School: Operator Md. Shameem and nodal officer Rajendra Budhauliya
• Saint Abraham School: Operator Mohammad Shafiq and nodal officer D.K. Mehta

The EOW investigation continues as authorities work to uncover the full extent of the scam and recover the misappropriated funds.