BY A GT REPORTER
PANJIM: The Directorate of Education has finally woken up to the fact that the hundreds of schools do not adhere to the Goa School Education Act, 1984 and the Rules 1986, when it disclosed that none of the 158 unaided government recognised schools in Goa, had filed their audited statements as required under the Act and Rules.
All Goa Unaided Schools Parent’s Association (AGUSPA) since March had been demanding that the DoE had to force managements of the schools to comply with the Act. For the Directorate it might be a revelation that the managements had disobeyed its orders, but AHUSPA members knew very well that managements had to hide some skeletons.
For the last three years, two parents Orlando Pacheco and Franky Monteiro had been educating the officials of the Directorate of Education about the Goa School Education Act, 1984, but the DoE had taken the matter lightly, though it had issued some circulars to the effect.
However, despite of issuing circulars, last year DoE had given approval to a new fee hike without demanding for the audited statement to some schools.
It was only after AGUSPA filing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) in the Bombay High Court at Goa that, they were enforcing the Act, only to save their skin, according to AGUSPA president Nisser Dias.
Dias said that as per Section 10 (7) of the Goa School Education Act 1984, the managing committee of every recognised private school should file every year with the Director of Education such duly audited financial and/other returns as may be prescribed, and every such return should be audited by such authority as may be prescribed.
Also under Rule 139 (2)(3)of the Goa School Education Rules 1986, every unaided recognised private school should submit returns and documents in accordance with the instruction issued by the Director of Education from time to time.
He charged that managements of the unaided schools had been violating the Act and Rules in contempt of Supreme Court ruling over the years.
The AGUSPA had pointed from the audit statements of the managements of some of these schools that schools funds had been transferred to Trust, Society and Mandal funds, in some case to the tunes of Rs 45 lakhs.
If the managements of these unaided schools file their audited statements, I am sure lot of irregularities will come to light.
AGUSPA demands that the audited statements of the charitable trust, society and Mandal running these schools be also checked and most of the school demand huge donations for admitting a child in violation of Rule 132 of Goa School Education Rules 1986.
