-Dipta Joshi

The Maharashtra education department is likely to order an inquiry into 800 schools granted affiliation by Dr Vaishali Veer Jhankar, Zilla Parishad (ZP) education officer, Nashik division. Dr Jhankar under suspension on charges of graft allegedly approved 800 schools for state board affiliation during the past one year. With all approvals under the department’s scanner, the education department will question the basis for all approvals signed by Dr Jhankar.

The Thane Bribery Prevention Squad of the anti-corruption bureau (ACB) arrested Dr Jhankar (August 10) for accepting a bribe of Rs eight lakh. According to the complainant, a promoter of an educational institute sanctioned a 20 percent grant from the government, Dr Jhankar demanded the bribe to update staff salaries as per the 20 percent grant. Allegedly asking for a total of Rs 9,00,000 to approve updated salaries of 36 teachers of the school at Rs 25,000 for each teacher, Dr Jhankar is said to have settled for Rs 8,00,000 as a compromise. ACB officials caught her driver collecting the money on her behalf. Currently out on bail, Dr Jhankar was suspended on August 23 by the department 10 days after she was charged.

The Nashik division’s education department has earned a notorious reputation after three of its top ranked  officers – ex deputy directors Ramchandra Jadhav and Nitin Bachhav and current education officer, Pravin Patil have all been embroiled in corruption cases in the past three years alone.