Alappuzha: The district education officer (DEO) investigating the controversial 'lucky draw' fund of Government Girls Higher Secondary School, Cherthala, has found misappropriation of money collected using students and staff.
The report says the school authorities printed 15,000 coupons of Rs 50 each and sold 5,520 of them to nearby shops and residents and collected Rs 2,76,000.
Soon a controversy erupted and a resident lodged a complained with the DEO, who stopped it and asked them to return their money. His report the DC accessed under the RTI Act says they returned only Rs 9,250 and headmaster K.V. Peter is liable for the rest.
The DEO says he could find no ledger of the school funds or proper cash book of the Parent Teachers Association (PTA). The bank statement has no clarity on funds collected through the coupons which carried no name of the press.
"So it's found to be a serious matter," the report says, recommending the deputy director of education a detailed audit.
The school authorities had withdrawn Rs 2,09,400 of Rs 2,07,352 deposited on the same day, August 16. The DEO got no clarification on this. It says lottery-like coupons were printed and sold without getting departmental approval. Using girl students for fund collection violated Juvenile Justice Act, Right to Education Act and other laws and government orders.
The funds reached the headmaster through class teachers, but no details of the division and the date were available. Coupons had offered motorcycle (first), flat TV (second) refrigerator (third) as prizes. The drawing of the lot was first scheduled for June 15 then on July 14 before being axed.
The school authorities had opened a joint account in the name of the headmaster and president of Parent Teachers Association (PTA) at Town Cooperative Bank, Cherthala.
