Times of India:
Ahmedabad: Friday, January 31, 2014.
A right to
information (RTI) application filed by a retired teacher of a government school
in Anand district has revealed that a school administration was collecting fee
under unauthorized heads. Further, it has also come to light that the school
was collecting fees under two names, one of which was used for the funds
demanded under unauthorized heads of 'upgradation' and 'other activities'. The
amount collected by the school in this irregular manner was around Rs 75 lakh.
After the RTI
query brought the matter to light, the district education officer (DEO) ordered
the 100-year-old school to return to parents the extra fee collected from them.
A retired
primary government schoolteacher of Anklav in Anand Firoz Vhora had filed an
RTI application after he came to know about the fee being collected by a
government high school in Anklav under unauthorized heads. He sought
information from the school authorities about the fees collected during May
2013. He also asked for information on grants and other benefits given to the
school by government.
Talking to
TOI, Vhora said, "I retired from a government primary school and served
voluntarily in Anklav High School. At that time, I came to know about the
unauthorized fee being collected from poor students. I filed the RTI
application so that the irregularity could be exposed."
Vhora was not
satisfied with the reply given by school. Hence, he filed an appeal before the
taluka development officer (TDO) and also the district education officer (DEO).
The final reply was shocking. "The school authorities had collected fees
under two different names for the same organization. One part of the fees was
collected as Madhyamik Kelavani Mandal, Anklav, and another portion was taken
in the name of Anklav High School," Vhora alleged.
Following
this disclosure, Anand DEO K A Patel took up the matter and ordered the school
authorities to attend a hearing in his office. During the hearing, Patel
directed the authorities to return the extra fees to parents. "We have
issued the order twice so far, but the school is yet to return the fees. The
school recently celebrated 100 years of establishment. A total of 2,681
students study in the school," Patel added.
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