Gujarat : Teachers coerced into paying bribe of Rs 35 lakh for jobs, alleges AAP Leader 

Gandhinagar : Yuvrajsinh Jadeja, a prominent figure within the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Gujarat, made startling revelations on Friday, alleging a widespread scam in the recruitment of teachers within grant-in-aid schools in the state. He pointed fingers at malpractices occurring in the selection process, citing an egregious example at an Ashram school in Sanjeli tahsil of Dahod district, where candidates were purportedly coerced into paying bribes amounting to ₹35 lakh.

“In the recent recruitment drive for approximately 100 teaching positions in Dahod district, we’ve received complaints regarding around 45 instances of fraudulent activities. One glaring case is that of an Ashram school in Sanjeli Tehsil, where not only are bribes demanded, but eligible candidates are also intimidated and threatened to favor less deserving applicants,” stated Jadeja during his address on Friday.

Jadeja shed light on the functioning of Sadhguru Seva Trust Ranujadham, which operates an Ashramshala—a school affiliated with a hostel—in Sanjeli, Dahod. This school, operating on government grants, recently advertised vacancies for the position of a social science teacher, specifying eligibility criteria as BA B.Ed and TAT-1 exams, with reservation for Scheduled Tribes (ST) candidates.

“Upon receiving applications, the school authorities seemingly engaged in a quest for maximum bribes, contacting candidates and soliciting payments of up to ₹35 lakhs from those deemed less meritorious. Recorded conversations corroborate these claims, further indicating instances where administrators visited candidates’ homes to intimidate and coerce them,” Jadeja elaborated.

Furthermore, Jadeja highlighted systemic flaws contributing to such malpractices, emphasizing the lack of transparency in the offline application process for Shikshan Sahayak and Vidya Sahayak positions. He criticized the absence of online mechanisms, which, he argued, would mitigate opportunities for manipulation and fraud.

“The non-transparent nature of the entire process facilitates these fraudulent activities. It’s an open secret that recruitment often hinges on bribes,” Jadeja asserted, underscoring the urgent need for reform.