Palakkad: The Education Department has ordered the teachers of an aided school coming under the Alathur education sub- district in Palakkad to repay an amount of Rs 12 lakh which they drew as salary from the government illegally by adding fictitious names of students in the school register in a bid to conform to the norms on prescribed staff strength.

The decision was taken after the Kozhikode Super Check Cell of the department had found 9 teaching posts in the school as excess during the academic year 2009-10.

The department then ordered the teachers to repay the salary they received apart from the money they claimed in the name of non-existent students towards lumpsum grant, free ration, scholarship, provision items, uniform and textbooks.

Though the then Alathur AEO issued notice for repayment of the money by the teachers while acting on a complaint filed by the Kunissery Forum for Social Action Committee, the then headmaster of the school managed to get a stay from the High Court against the decision.

The Social Action Committee filed a complaint in 2020 against the action of AEO office of disposing the file on the matter and issuing non-liability certificate to the headmaster after his retirement.

The Education Director then issued an order to deduct the said amount from the teachers who are liable, apart from taking action against those officials, who worked at the AEO office from 2012 to 2020, for failing to take prompt action on the issue.