PATNA: A total of 1,400 contract teachers, who managed to get jobs using fake degrees, have resigned in Bihar fearing arrests and recovery of salaries. However, authorities say the number of resigned bogus teachers is too small, as their total number could be around 40,000. According to a report by Lata Rani in Gulf News, the mass resignations came shortly after the Patna High Court asked such teachers to quit out of their own will to escape severe punitive action. The order issued by the court asked them to resign within seven days of its issuance and also instructed the state government to place advertisements in all newspapers. Academic experts say the government’s failure to follow set guidelines in the recruitment of teachers’ has virtually destroyed the primary and secondary education in the state. This was amply reflected during the recent annual matriculation examinations when a large number of parents and guardians were seen climbing up the walls of a multi-storeyed examination centre in Bihar and supplying answers to their children, drawing global condemnations. —Monitoring Desk