After MHRD ministry merged erstwhile SSA, RMSA & teacher-training programs into Smarga Shiksha scheme earlier this year, it came to fore that the department hadn’t utilized the funding meant for infrastructure development & other interventions
J&K’s School Education Department never misses a chance to complain about lack of funding for infrastructure development and implementation of student-friendly program. But a whopping Rs 600 crore funding allocated to school education department under different central schemes has remained unspent for past many years. The issue got highlighted after government of India merged erstwhile schemes- SSA, RMSA and teacher training program into flagship Smarga Shiksha scheme. The new integrated scheme was launched from April this year following which ministry of human resource development (MHRD) directed school education department to open fresh accounts under new Smarga Shiksha for receiving central funding. As new accounts were opened at zonal and district level, the previous accounts of SSA and RMSA were frozen and all chief education officers (CEO) and zonal education officers (ZEO) were barred to make any transaction from these accounts, following strict directions from the ministry, said an official. This non-utilization of funds has not only exposed sluggishness of the department to use resources for overall development of education sector in J&K, it has also raised questions over the department’s ill-planning. “That the unspent money got accumulated is an ample proof that the department had even no idea how to utilize it,” said the official, adding it has come to fore that the funding remained unspent in almost all districts. Take instance of Baramulla. As per official figures over Rs 34 crore has remained unspent under SSA and RMSA scheme in the district. While Rs 6.50 crore has remained unspent in the office of chief education officer (CEO) Baramulla, Rs 25.16 crore has not been utilized at level of zonal offices and district institute of education and training (DIET) institute under SSA. Also, under RMSA, Rs 2.88 crore has remained unspent in the district. “The worry is that this funding money can’t be utilized by the department as per the directions from the ministry,” the official said. “We have simply lost the money despite the fact that it remained with the department for a long time.” Some time ago an audit team of the department also found that some bank accounts were not maintained properly by school heads. “In various schools, the school principals have transferred the funding into their personal bank accounts,” an official said. “Even the account details don’t match. There are so many lacunas in these accounts. In most of the cases these accounts have not been officially verified which has raised eyebrows on integrity of these school heads.” The major component under which the funds have remained unspent is civil works followed by other interventions of SSA and RMSA scheme like pedagogy, teacher training, retention of out of school children, inclusive education, access to schools, girl education, community mobilization, annual school grants, minor repair grants, remedial classes of slow learners, quality improvement, inclusive education for disabled students from high school level, exposure visits (picnic), self-defense for girls, incentives for girl students, model schools, girls hostels, ICT laboratories and vocational education. “It is unfortunate that entire funding remained unspent due to sluggish approach of the authorities. Under a separate program at least Rs 4 crore has remained unspent which was meant for construction of school buildings. Besides the department has failed to utilise Rs 3.2 crore which was meant to be spent on out-of-school children and motivate them to return to classrooms. A separate report accessed by Greater Kashmir revealed that funds released as annual school grants and minor repair grants have also remained unspent. Sample this: during the inspection of the accounts of the department, it was found that Rs 18 lakhs have remained unspent in a government primary school of Dooda. In Kupwara Rs 70 lakh has remained unutilized under the erstwhile SSA an RMSA schemes. Now after the account of the CEOs and ZEOs have been frozen, the authorities in state project directorate have asked the officers to get prior approval and permission to utilize the funds which have been released under SSA and RMSA schemes. “The funding which has remained unspent can’t be utilized by anyone now. The finance department is likely to get back the funding from the school department as the CEOs have been barred from making any transactions from previous accounts. “The CEOs stopped from utilizing the money because under Smarga Shiksha new funds will be released as per norms of integrated scheme and if funds of previous schemes are merged with then we have to show more expenditure than actual funds released under the integrated scheme,” the official said. The SSA was launched in 2002-03 for universalisation of elementary education and over all development of J&K state’s education sector while RMSA was launched in 2009 to enhance access to secondary education and to improve quality.