Checks tightened for hiring of college teachers

The move by the Directorate of Technical Education (DoTE), which is looking after about 520 polytechnic colleges and nearly 500 engineering colleges across the State, to appoint special nodal officers comes against the backdrop of several complaints that many candidates produce fake certificates.

A senior official from DoTE told DT Next that earlier, all the candidates who had registered in the recruitment for lecturers in technical colleges would have to come to Chennai to get their certificates verified. “With one nodal office, the verification process was not only slow but getting detail inputs regarding the background of the candidates, who come from far-flung areas, was also difficult,” the official added.

As an effect to the decision, as many as eleven nodal offices under DoTE will function across the State, the official said, adding that the directorate’s head office will look after the candidates applying in Chennai, Tiruvallur and Kancheepuram. Likewise, one nodal officer will function at Coimbatore, which will take care of Coimbatore, the Nilgiris and Tirupur areas, the official said.

Similarly, one nodal office each will come up at Salem, Tirunelveli, Karaikudi, Vellore, Bargur in Krishnagiri, Bodinayakanur in Theni, Dharmapuri, Srirangam in Tiruchy and Thanjavur.

“All the nodal officers will verify the candidate’s certificates, including their degree, experience, and caste certificates,” the official said, adding, “if the certificates are found to be suspicious in nature, the nodal officer will directly inspect to procure the correct data”.

The DoTE official further said that the candidates would able to proceed to the next step only after thorough verification by the nodal officers, who will then attest the form. “lf any discrepancies are to be found, the legal consequences and proceedings will be initiated against the offender in case of falsification of records, if any, made by them,” the officialadded.