Goa State Govt takes over 'mismanaged' Vasco school

Source :TNN, May 6, 2010, 03.11am IST

PANAJI: The Shree Susenashram high school located at Mormugao Jetty in Vasco was taken over by the state government on Wednesday for mismanagement of the school affairs and misappropriation of government funds by the school management.

Legal officer of the directorate of education, Avinash Nasnodkar, speaking to TOI on Wednesday said that by order dated May 4, 2010, the port town school was taken over by the state government and Silvia D’Souza, officer of the South Goa education zone, has already reported of having taken over the school administration on the state’s behalf. The DoE found several irregularities in the school’s management such as no seniority list was prepared by the management of the school staff, thereby violating provisions of the Goa School Education Rules, 1986.

The school also faces charges of misappropriation of Rs 18 lakh taken from the state government as loan. The Shree Susenashram high school was issued a showcause by the DoE on March 18, 2010. The school was questioned as to why its management should not be taken over by the DoE after it was found to have misappropriated around Rs 18 lakh it had borrowed from the DoE under a scheme for the school’s infrastructure development in the year 2002. Education officials said that the Rs 18 lakh taken for school development was kept in a fixed deposit in a local bank by the school management and the money was not refunded to the state as is required by rules if the amount is not utilized within six months of its sanctioning. Officials said that the school’s functioning was also not found to be going on in the desired manner.

"There was no control over the staff and the management also faces charges of harassment from the school’s former headmaster regarding settlement of pension claim," officials informed.

The school was unable to provide satisfactory reply to the showcause notice issued against them and the DoE thereafter decided to take over the school. DoE officials also informed that a senior teacher of the school has alleged harassment by the school management for denying her promotion to the post of headmistress and that the said teacher has also filed a writ petition against the school management.

It may be recalled that last year, the DoE after having issued a showcause notice to the Shree Durga English high school, Pernem, for similar misappropriation of state funds had taken over the school. The school authorities were issued a showcause by DoE for misappropriation of Rs 18 lakh of the public exchequer. DoE officials had found that the management had invested the money as fixed deposit in the Bicholim Urban Co-operative Bank.