Indian-origin woman banned from teaching in UK for committing fraud
Darpan News Desk IANS, 05 Jun, 2023 10:23 AM
London, June 5 (IANS) An Indian-origin woman has been banned from teaching by the UK's Department of Education for a minimum of two years for concealing charges of fraud against her from a school where she joined in 2018.
Dipti Patel moved to Bolton from London when she became the head of physical education at Manchester Academy in Moss Side in 2018, The Bolton News reported.
Patel said one of the reasons for the move was an armed burglary at her home, and the family made an insurance claim for tens of thousands of pounds after the incident.
But an investigation found that it was a contrived burglary and that the insurance claim was fraudulent.
Patel was charged with an offence under the Fraud Act but it was only when she was convicted, she told the school about the case.
She also lied on an application for leave, saying it was to take a child to an appointment when it was to attend St Albans Crown Court, the report said.
She was then referred to the Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) by the Manchester Academy.
"Teachers must have proper and professional regard for the ethos, policies and practices of the school in which they teach, and maintain high standards in their own attendance and punctuality," an independent panel that looked into Patel's conduct, said in its report.
"The panel finds that the conduct of Mrs Patel fell significantly short of the standards."
On May 12, the panel recommended a ban from the profession for a minimum of two years, which was accepted by the Department for Education.
According to the prohibition order, Patel cannot teach in any school, sixth form college, relevant youth accommodation or children's home in England.
The panel stated that Patel has a right of appeal to the King's Bench Division of the High Court.
The BBC report said that the 38-year-old accused will first have to appear in court in the state of Victoria, before being moved to Queensland where the crime took place. He will then face a magistrate in Brisbane, probably later this week, before being remanded in custody.
The Air Canada crew found one litre bottle of Bacardi and a water bottle containing a liquid smelling strongly of alcohol with Patel. The crew confiscated the bottles as according to the Civil Aviation and Safety Authority, airline passengers can only consume alcohol provided by cabin crew during a flight.
Nearly a quarter of all international students in Britain are from India, and Indian investment into the UK supports 95,000 jobs across the UK. The UK Immigration Statistics, published in August 2022, showed that nearly 118,000 Indian students received a student visa in the year ending June 2022 -- an 89 per cent increase from the previous year.
The longest wait-time, typically for first-time visitors, is down from over 1,000 days to about 580, as a result of such measures that also include interview waiver for repeat visitors, additional staffing at consular operations in Indian missions and "Super Saturdays" when mission staff just process visas all day.
A 7.8-magnitude quake struck the same area on February 6, killing more than 44,000 people in Turkey and Syria. Those killed by Monday's tremor were found in Antakya, Defne, and Samandagi, Soylu said, urging people not to enter potentially dangerous buildings.
While the two victims were killed at the scene, the three injured were sent to local hospitals in fair-to-moderate conditions. It added that 125 passengers exited the train without medical complaint.
