Patna, Aug 29 (IANS): In a span of just two months, the Bihar Education Departments has suspended 55 teachers due to negligence or not being present in the schools, as well as slashed the salaries of 6,000 others for various teaching violations.

Soon after K.K. Pathak took charge as the Department's Additional Chief Secretary in June, he started inspections of different schools from July 1.

He has given strict directions to District Magistrates and district education officers to inspect every school twice or thrice a week and take action against the offenders.

Without taking prior permission from the authorities, the offending teachers remained absent from work and would even come in late for their classes.

Of the suspended teachers, the maximum were from Sitamarhi (26), while the remaining were from 12 other districts, according to the official data.

Twenty-four districts did not report any suspension.

The Education Department cut the salaries of 2 teachers in Bhagalpur, 3 in Arwal, 9 in Khagaria and 9 in Rohtas.

In the remaining 34 districts, the numbers were between 10 to 300.