Hojai Students' Union Calls for Investigation into Fake Certificate Scandal
Demand for SIT Investigation
The student body submitted a memorandum to the Chief Minister, Education Minister, and Hojai District Commissioner. (Representational image/X)
Hojai, Nov 12: The All Assam Minorities Students’ Union (AAMSU) from Hojai has urged for a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to look into a purported fake educational certificate scam in the region.
In a memorandum presented on Tuesday to the Chief Minister, Education Minister, and Hojai District Commissioner, the group claimed that over 600 students in Hojai had acquired certificates from the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE) to gain admission into various schools this academic year.
AAMSU is calling for stringent legal measures against individuals allegedly involved in the creation, sale, and distribution of counterfeit certificates, as well as the identification and apprehension of all members of the suspected syndicate.
The student organization also pointed out that despite instructions from the Assam State School Education Board (ASSEB), Division-II, to initiate legal action against institutions suspected of issuing fake certificates and the students who utilized them, no FIR has been filed in Hojai district to date.
The memorandum indicated that this alleged racket began to grow during the last Panchayat elections, where educational certificates supposedly issued by non-existent colleges and universities were sold for substantial sums.
Furthermore, the organization alleged that the scheme later extended to students who had not passed the High School Leaving Certificate (HSLC) and Higher Secondary examinations.
AAMSU asserted that these certificates were sourced from institutions in Delhi and other states, designed to closely mimic authentic documents.
It was also claimed that students who had failed Assam board examinations were falsely represented as having passed under CISCE, and when these certificates were flagged as fraudulent, they were allegedly provided with certificates from the Meghalaya Board of School Education (MBOSE).
These allegations arise following a communication from ASSEB, Division-II, dated September 5, directed to the Commissioner and Secretary of the School Education Department.
The board had raised concerns about suspected fake Class X pass certificates issued in the name of CISCE by institutions not recognized by the council. The communication identified 94 schools allegedly involved in this malpractice.
According to ASSEB's investigation, 2,083 students enrolled in Class XI for the 2025-26 academic year and another 2,851 for 2026-27 had presented Class X pass certificates purportedly issued by CISCE from institutions not affiliated with the council. This totals 4,934 students across both academic years.
ASSEB's verification revealed that only 28 schools in Assam and Arunachal Pradesh are affiliated with CISCE.
In light of these findings, ASSEB has blocked the registration of students admitted for the 2026-27 academic year.
Additionally, the board instructed Inspectors of Schools in the relevant districts to advise institutions to cease the studies of students admitted in 2025-26 and 2026-27 using these certificates.
AAMSU has criticized the response to the board's findings, arguing that simply instructing schools to halt the registration of students with such certificates is inadequate to tackle a scam of this magnitude.