MUZAFFARABAD: The Private Educational Institutions Registration Authority (Peira) in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) has suspended the registration of 24 educational institutions across the state for submitting fraudulent data in the ongoing online education census.

The 2024 online education census was initiated by Peira in collaboration with the Directorate of Education Management Information System (EMIS)to provide an accurate depiction of the educational landscape in the region for future policy formulation and decision-making.

While the registration of 474 private institutions was suspended on Thursday last for failing to participate in the census, a similar penalty was imposed on 24 institutions on Tuesday for submitting false and misleading information, said Peira Chairman Syed Saleem Gardezi.

“Some of these institutions reported abnormally high numbers of students and teachers, exceeding the total population of the planet,” he disclosed, calling it a blatant effort to undermine the data collection process.

He maintained that providing false information not only disrupted the census but was also a criminal offence, making the owners and heads of these institutions liable to legal proceedings.

The institutions had been warned to correct their online data promptly. Failure to comply could lead to the cancellation of their registrations and the initiation of criminal proceedings, he added.

He said 24 institutions included eight from Mirpur, five each from Muzaffarabad and Kotli, four from Bagh, and one each from Jhelum Valley and Bhimber.

Published in Dawn, December 25th, 2024