Assam: Major SEBA-DISE Code Scam Unearthed in Nagaon Education Office

A CORRESPONDENT

NAGAON: A massive fraud involving the illegal issuance of SEBA and DISE codes to private schools without valid documents has surfaced at the Office of the Inspector of Schools, Nagaon Circle, triggering a major controversy.

According to reports, a powerful nexus within the office has been allegedly providing SEBA and DISE codes to several private schools in exchange for huge sums of money, bypassing mandatory documents such as prior permission and registration from the Department of Secondary Education. The scam has reportedly been running since 2024-2025. 

The issue came to light after RC Jain, Chairman of the State Education Council, took a serious view of the irregularities and ordered a full-fledged inquiry. Following this, Inspector of Schools Mridul Kumar Nath has been accused of attempting to cover up the matter by merely seeking an explanation from Computer Assistant Mridu Plaban Das (EDP), raising suspicions of a wider cover-up. 

Allegations have also been levelled against some other office staff, who are said to be part of the nexus. Sources claim that several educational institutions in the district have illegally obtained DISE codes, while other 10 to 20 schools managed to secure SEBA codes by 'managing' the departmental circle. 

Officials allegedly turned a blind eye to forged documents submitted by private schools for prior permission and registration. Despite being responsible for physical verification and submitting reports through a password-protected portal, the Inspector of Schools has claimed ignorance, which has raised further doubts. 

The Secretary of the Department of Higher Education and the Director of Secondary Education have already summoned Mridul Kumar Nath multiple times and directed him to submit a detailed report on the matter.

Further allegations have surfaced regarding monthly commissions being collected from the Mid-Day Meal schemes of 46 schools run by in-charge headmasters in the district, with the Inspector of Schools allegedly complicit. Nath, however, has claimed that the fraud was committed using a digitally stored signature on the office computer, attempting to distance himself from the scam. 

In a press conference held on Wednesday, Mridul Kumar Nath admitted that irregularities have been detected in 7 schools so far and confirmed that the fraud has been ongoing since 2024-2025. The schools named for operating with fake documents are AR Public School, BK Markaz Academy, Educare Senior Secondary School, Gyanam Secondary Academy, Kanaka Academy, Neptune Senior Secondary School, Saraswati Academy, and Sunrise Modern Academy.

Nath stated that an explanation had been sought from Computer Assistant Mridu Plaban Das and that the investigation was ongoing.

Also Read: Workshop at KKHSOU focuses on aligning higher education with industry needs in Northeast India