The issue figured in the Cabinet meeting yesterday, when Agriculture Minister Nitin Patel reportedly alleged large-scale irregularities in the recruitment and postings of Vidhya Sahayaks (primary teachers) in Mehsana.

Some other ministers also reportedly made similar complaints and sought a thorough inquiry in their home districts. This prompted Chief Minister Keshubhai Patel to direct Minister of State for Education Anandiben Patel to initiate the process for an inquiry.

Anandiben told Express Newsline on Thursday that she had received a spate of complaints in the recruitment and postings all over the State. "We will inquire into this and none will be spared if found guilty", she asserted.

She said she had already stayed recruitment in the Vadodara city and district following allegations, while senior officials of her department were inquiring into a "recruitment scandal" in Bhavnagar district.

Of the total 20,000 unemployed PTC-trained teachers to be recruited under the scheme during the current academic year, 12,000 have been issued appointment orders, she said, adding recruitment in Surat, Narmada and Bharuch districts could not began in view of the model code of conduct taking effect for the Bharuch Lok Sabha by-poll.

She asked the Primary Education Directorate to detect the cases of alleged corruption in recruitment and large-scale transfers of regular primary teachers in different parts of the State. A two-day meeting of all the district primary education officers (DPEOs) scheduled to begin at Dwarka in Jamnagar district on Friday will launch this exercise.

Dilipsinh Gohil, president of the Gujarat State Primary Teachers' Federation, has also drawn the attention of the Education Minister to the alleged rampant corruption in the recruitment of Vidhya Sahayaks and transfers of regular primary teachers mainly in Bhavnagar, Banaskantha, Mehsana, Junagadh, Vadodara and Sabarkantha.

Gohil called on the Education Minister here this evening and handed over a memorandum to her, listing the instances of irregularities in the inter-taluka and inter-district transfers of primary teachers and in the recruitment of Vidhya Sahayaks. "A huge amount has exchanged hands in the recruitment of unemployed PTC-trained teachers, which must be probed by senior-level officers of the State Education Department and not of the Primary Education Directorate which, he charged, was infested with corrupt officers", Gohil demanded.

The Federation chief also complained about blatant political interference by chairpersons of primary education committees in different districts in the process of recruitment of Vidhya Sahayaks, which, he alleged, was encouraging corruption. The rules, including merits and seniority, laid down for the recruitment of PTC-trained teachers have been given the go-by, Gohil charged.