Patna, Jan. 13: Bihar government’s campaign to ensure maximum enrolment in government schools has run into a controversy with a large number of fake admissions being reported from at least nine districts in the state.

According to education department sources, till date, at least 3,36,000 fake admissions have been reported from Banka (70,000), West Champaran (57,000), Sitamarhi (53,000), Rohtas (50,000), Katihar (34,000), Muzaffarpur (33,000), Jamui (32,000), Darbhanga (4,000) and Kaimur (3,000). The department is suspecting at least 83,000 fake admissions in Gaya and 45,000 in Gopalganj.

The department unearthed this scam in the course of another survey. It found students enrolled in more than one school, taking advantage of the benefits of government-sponsored schemes such as school uniforms, cycles, and scholarships.

Majority of the cases have been detected in three categories — students enrolled twice in the same class, students enrolled twice/thrice in the same school and students enrolled more than once in other government schools.

A senior education department official said: “Such a large scam cannot be committed without the involvement of headmasters. Funds meant for such schemes go directly to the district education officer who releases the money to the schools falling under his area.” Chief minister Nitish Kumar has ordered an inquiry into the fake admissions in schools. Education department principal secretary Anjani Kumar Singh said fake admissions were exposed following a special drive. “Same name students were found in more than one school. Also attendance figure was far less than the number of students in the register,” Singh added.

Singh said action would be taken against parents of all those students who had availed of the government benefits more than once.

To check such malpractices, students enrolling in schools will be provided funds for uniforms or other schemes, only if they complete six months in that very school. His/her attendance will be monitored regularly.

The education department, in its effort to keep tabs on fake admission in government schools, is planning to computerise the record of students admitted in government schools.

A senior official of education department said: “The department is planning to upload the details of all the students studying in government schools on computer to lessen chances of duplication.”

The department will keep the record of the name of students, the class in which he/she is studying, students’ address and parents’ name. All the records will be fed on Excel sheets.

Sources said the education department is mulling an FIR against the 350 government schools from where fake admissions have been reported.