AP: Sports Quota Teachers Reject Fake Certificate Allegations
Selected candidates say their sports credentials are genuine and verifiable online
Vijayawada: Teachers selected under the sports quota in the Mega DSC 2025 recruitment rejected allegations on Sunday that they had secured government jobs using fake sports certificates.
At a round-table meeting in Vijayawada, several selected candidates spoke about the hardships they had faced in pursuing sports and education and securing government jobs. They appealed to political leaders and television channels not to make what they termed baseless allegations against them for political gains.
The teachers said details of their sporting achievements and educational qualifications were available online and could be verified. They said they had represented the state and the country at various levels and won medals after years of hard work.
“Not a single person got a job without appearing for the TET. We obtained our sports certificates legitimately and were selected under the sports quota. It is painful to be branded as fake candidates despite the hardships we endured,” they said.
The candidates said the Mega DSC 2025 recruitment was conducted transparently under the leadership of Education Minister Nara Lokesh and alleged that the YSRC was campaigning against them. They said the allegations had caused them distress and damaged their reputation.
The teachers displayed photographs and videos of sports certificates being presented to them by former sports minister Roja and former Sports Authority of Andhra Pradesh (SAAP) chairman Baireddy Siddharth Reddy. They also recalled being felicitated at Kondapalli Fort after winning medals in softball.
They questioned whether two members of the same family could not secure government jobs and said their appointments were made under the horizontal reservation system applicable to the sports quota. They also pointed out that direct recruitment was followed in several Central government departments, including the postal, IT, DRDO and railway sectors.
Rejecting claims that jobs had been given to people who played cards in the name of bridge, the sportspersons said bridge was a recognised competitive sport and had nothing to do with gambling.
Ex-serviceman Chakrapani Reddy said he had been subjected to severe humiliation by the allegations. “Only those who have worked hard to study and build their careers know the real value of a government job,” he said.