Irregularities found in accounts of four govt colleges

Fees taken from students under self-finance scheme were not deposited in the treasury

ISLAMABAD: Auditors have detected financial irregularities in the accounts of four government colleges of the capital which took payments from students studying under self-finance scheme and then spent that money without entering it in the treasury.

The four colleges were found to have retained and utilised receipts worth Rs38.952 million in violation of rules, says an audit report which was submitted to the Parliament recently.

Audit Report 2016-17 states that the Model College for Girls (IMCG) Sector F-6/2, Islamabad College for Boys (ICB) Sector G-6/3, Islamabad Model College for Boys (IMCB) Sector F-8/3, Islamabad College for Girls (ICG) Sector F-6/2 received Rs38.95 million on account of tuition and admission fee on self-finance basis.

These colleges then spent around Rs32.043 million of that money.

The audit observed that this fee collected from the students was not deposited into the government treasury, hence and expense from this amount was unauthorised.

According to a Ministry of Education letter issued to principals of all colleges in 1993, tuition fee and bus charges must be deposited in the federal treasury.

Orderly allowance

The audit report also revealed that four colleges paid orderly allowance, senior post allowance and entertainment allowance to associate professors of Basic Pay Scale (BPS) grade-19 and BPS-20 from 2011 to June 2016.

However, the report notes that the IMCB Sector G-10/4, ICB Sector G-6/3, IMCB Sector F-8/4 and ICG Sector F-6/2 overpaid Rs15.33 million to 34 professors.

The report observed that the payments were made in violation of the finance division rules and no documentary evidence was provided regarding their recovery.

Unauthorised fee charge

The report reveals that the ICB Sector G-6/3, IMCB Sector G-10/4, IMCB Sector F-8/4, ICG Sector F-6/2 accepted admissions for class XI in the month of August between 2014 and 2016 and charged students the fee and funds for April to July even though the students were studying in the colleges during that time.

The report noted that the monthly tuition fee and student fund charges for this period prior to their admission was accepted without due authority and were therefore unauthorised.

Irregular award of canteen contract

The report says the IMCG Sector F-6/2 awarded Chaudhry Mohammad the contract of the cafeteria in 2008 in violation of rules while undue favour was extended to the contractor at the cost of the exchequer worth Rs8.613 million.

This despite the fact that the contractor was supposed to build the canteen using his own resources.

The Public Works Department assessed that the monthly rent of the contracted space was Rs59,850, however, the college’s management had agreed a monthly rent of Rs12,000 with the contractor with the sum including utility bills. This resulted in a  monthly loss of Rs47,850 apart from utility charges.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 29^th, 2017.