The district administration here suspended 23 primary school headmasters and 15 CRCCs (Cluster Resource Center Coordinator) for showing fake enrolment.

Another seven contractual teachers (SS) were also found guilty of fake enrolments and hiding dropout facts. They are also likely to be dismissed from service as there is no provision of suspension for the contractual teachers.

The teachers have been suspended for three days only starting from October 27 for fabricating the number of enrolment and hiding the number of dropout children in the attendance registers.

A thorough survey made last month by the district administration spearheaded by district Collector Jaykumar V has revealed that a total of 2,520 fake students and 2,365 dropouts have been identified in the district.

The highest number of fake enrollment and dropouts has been registered in the schools of Nuapada block (1,611 in total) and in Komna block this number is 1,186. In Khariar, Sinapali and Boden, the numbers are 568, 734 and 786 respectively.

It has been reported that the teachers in connivance with the CRCCs (Cluster Resource Center Coordinator) enrolled fake students in the schools and shown the dropout children as regular ones to reflect a higher strength position for higher allotment under MDM as well as to retain a higher number of sanctioned teachers.

"As per Census index the total number of children in the district in the age group of 6 to 14 year is about 1 lakh in the district whereas the enrolment in different schools is about 1.40 lakh. The figures were confusing, so we started the verification drive," said Jaykumar.

"Now the detection of fake and dropout children is 4,885, which will save MDM worth Rs 2.62 crores," he added. This detection still leaves an excess enrollment of another 35,000, which are supposed to be multiple enrolments of students. The locals have welcomed the move and are hopeful of more such measures in the education sector in the district.