Janjivan Bureau
New Delhi: In a major embarrassment for the Union HRD Ministry, appreciation letters sent on behalf of Smriti Irani to teachers was flagged by one of them. The Minister sought an explanation from CBSE which tendered an apology.
The typographical error in the letter head of the Minister came to light after the teacher — Richa Kumar of DPS Bhilai — posted it on social media.
In her posting, the teacher said, “Thank you for congratulating me on the excellence I exemplify. However, having been a teacher for the last twenty years, your official letter head is an affront to my sensibilities as a Language teacher. The attached photographs are self explanatory. Please ensure that at least the people who work for you, in your ministry, are well educated,” she said in her Facebook posting.
The words “Minister” and “sansadhan (in Hindi)” were spelt incorrectly in the letter.
“I have sought an explanation from CBSE as there was spelling mistakes in some of the letters,” Ms. Irani told reporters and demanded fixing of responsibilities.
She also tweeted:
@rai_saurabh100 no it’s not Saurabh. Would not misspell my own name in Hindi. Have asked concerned organisation to give an explanation.
— Smriti Z Irani (@smritiirani) August 21, 2015
CBSE was quick to tender an apology over the error.
“Inconvenience caused due to these errors is deeply regretted and I profusely apologise on behalf of CBSE,” secretary Joseph Emmanuel said in a communication to the Minister.
He said CBSE is undertaking immediate reissuance of letters to teachers and principals to whom earlier letters were dispatched.
The appreciation letters were sent in July, like every year, to students, teachers and principals for commendable academic performance during 2014-15.
