The Hindu : Teachers flay SSA fund misuse

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Mar 04, 2003

Southern States

Southern States - Kerala

Teachers flay SSA fund misuse

By Our Staff Reporter

ALAPPUZHA MARch 3. The hasty steps being taken by the State education department to spend funds allotted by the Union Government for the Sarva Siksha Abhyan programme is leading to widespread misuse of the amount, says various unions of Government school teachers.

In an effort to prevent the more than Rs 42 crores allotted by the union government for the SSA programme, from going lapse, the education department is allotting the amount for projects which have been prepared without proper evaluation, said Cyriac Kavil, State general secretary of Kerala School Teachers' Front.

The SSA project has been drafted by the union government to provide universal and compulsory education to children in the age group of 5-14. Leaders of organisations of teachers complained that the State level office of the education department, which was responsible for the implementation of the project had failed to devise clear, plans regarding the utilization of funds.

Though the funds were distributed to various district offices no guidelines regarding projects were given to them.

While, the Union Government allotted the first instalment of funds almost an year back, and completed the allotment of second instalment in time, the state and district offices concerned with the project, failed to utilise it for the success of the SSA project. According to organisations of teachers, at present the education department is allotting funds arbitrarily. For example, the department has made records that Rs 10,000 each was allotted for schools in the state for electrification, said teachers. Similarly, it had been recorded that a sum of Rs 6 lakh had been allotted for each district for construction of project offices, pointed out various organisations. They accused that records were made that large amounts had been spend for pre-project surveys. Various conditions suggested for expenditure of funds of SSA project have not been implemented says, teachers organisations. They said they had already given memorandum to the Chief Minister pointing out the discrepancies.

The organisations of teachers demanded that a public committee comprising of representative of teachers be formed to scrutiny the projects.

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