Punjab Assembly Public Accounts Committee-I Chairman Chaudhry Zaheeruddin Khan has said that academic activities in schools are suffering due to non-utilisation of funds at lower level because of red tape.

Non-utilisation of funds
Lahore: Punjab Assembly Public Accounts Committee-I Chairman Chaudhry Zaheeruddin Khan has said that academic activities in schools are suffering due to non-utilisation of funds at lower level because of red tape.

He said this while presiding over the committee meeting held here on Monday to consider audit paras pertaining to Punjab education department and hearing answers of secretary (schools) in response to the questions about funds use.

He said the members had been shocked to learn that funds were not being utilised in primary and middle schools due to the fear of audit paras. The education department officials could, however, ensure funds' utilisation by making serious efforts for settlement of audit paras, he added.

The secretary education (schools) informed the committee that a sizeable number of audit paras were 'frivolous'. Giving an example, he said a para was made even for not mentioning a date on a document and it took years to clear it.

Committee member Mehr Ishtiaq asked the secretary to explain why the department waited for the PAC-I meeting for the settlement of audit paras when it (the department) could get the objections removed by contacting the audit authorities.

The secretary further informed the committee that most of the audit paras were related to the utilisation of the SMC grant used on the directions of the schools management committees. He said the grant was negligible and was utilised for minor repairs and meeting requirements like the purchase of chalks for which no receipts were issued in villages. The expenditure was was not audited because the amounts involved were negligible. The teachers had stopped utilisation of the grant for the fear of audit paras.

Mr Zaheer observed there was no justification for avoiding utilisation of funds for fear of audit, terming it sheer escapism. The institutions should not be made to suffer for saving one's own skin, he added.

The secretary assured the chairman that the education department would get the paras settled with the audit authorities. The committee also directed the department to update the record after getting the details of school funds lying in their bank accounts.

The committee meeting was attended by Syed Nazim Hussain Shah, Mehr Ishtiaq, Mohsin Leghari, Zaib Jaffer, Major Abdul Rehman (retired), Syed Hasan Murtaza, Mian Shafi Muhammad and Chaudhry Arshad. Dawn