According to an internal audit, 2,182 schools have been asked to return around Rs 15 crore extra amount paid to them. However, a school association has termed the claim of excess payment as a misconception and has refused to return the amount.
Provision of reimbursement up to Rs 16,000 Before the amendment, Section 12 (1) (c) of the Right to Education Act made it mandatory for all private schools to reserve 25% of their seats for economically weaker sections in their vicinity. The state government would reimburse them annually, ranging from Rs 8,000 to Rs 16,000 per student, based on the grade. After the audit by the Comptroller and Auditor General, the Education Department found discrepancies in the RTE payments and asked the schools to return the excess amount.
The Commissioner of School Education, K.V. Trilok Chand, confirmed that notices had been issued to the schools based on the audit report. Action will be taken based on the response from the schools. According to the department, a review of the payments made in 204 talukas found discrepancies in 112 talukas. A total of Rs 16.8 crore was found to have been paid in excess, of which Rs 1.9 crore has been returned. The process of recovering the remaining amount from 2,182 schools is underway.
Awaiting response According to an official from the Education Department, most schools have refused to return the amount, stating that they will not pay back the amount. Instead, some of them have submitted their audit reports, which show that their actual expenditure was higher than the amount given by the government. We have submitted our objections and documents to the Commissioner’s office and are awaiting a response.
Misconception due to this reason Shashikumar D., Secretary of the Karnataka State Primary and Secondary School Management Association, said that the schools will not return the amount. Some schools were given the maximum possible amount, but many received less than Rs 8,000. The calculation was not done correctly, and the different components used in the calculation were not specified properly. The block education officer could not bring this to the notice of the auditor, leading to the misconception.
Shashikumar said, “The department should explain how they determined the expenditure per child. They gave us a small amount, and now they are asking us to return the money, which is nothing but looting us. Many schools have received notices, but we will not return the money.”
