CHENNAI: The State school education department has released Rs 119.27 crore and has asked the district administration concerned to deposit the amount in the bank accounts of the school management committees within five days.
The move follows a report titled ‘Fund delay: Schools not yet monsoon-ready’ published in the TNIE issue dated October 28, 2022, in which the newspaper said the schools are unable to take up the maintenance works due to the delay in the release of composite grants under the Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) scheme.
The fund - Rs 80.53 crore for primary and middle schools and Rs 38.74 crore for high and higher secondary schools - is given to government schools based on their strength, and is used for sanitation, procuring school essentials and doing minor repairs of the buildings. Apart, the schools can also use the fund for repairing and buying new equipment, and drinking water facilities, paying electricity and internet bills and purchasing teaching and learning materials.
Of the amount allocated, the schools should mandatorily spend 10% on sanitation which includes spreading awareness on it among the students once a week. However, if a school is getting funds for any of these purposes under another scheme, it should not use the SSA fund for those needs, said a circular from the department.
The department also directed the respective headmasters to display the details of the amount received on the notice board. “Discussions should be organised with the members of the school management committees and teachers on how to spend the fund.
While the essentials should be procured by December 31, repair works should be completed by December 15. The details of the expenditure should also be uploaded in the Educational Management Information System (EMIS) software,” the circular added.
Headmaster of a middle school in Dindigul and joint general secretary of Tamil Nadu Primary Teachers Federation (TNPTF), T Ganesan, said the department has asked them to mainly concentrate on drinking water and toilet facilities.
“It is not possible to complete the works by December 31 as the rains have already been battering several districts. We are sure the higher officials will give us more time. There should also be an assessment on the quality of materials purchased under the funds, as, now, the department only verifies the bills that have been submitted,” he added.
Display amount received on notice board HMs told
The School Education department also directed the headmasters of schools to display the details of the amount received on the notice board