FDE institutions told to return embezzled bus allowances

Institutions given a week-long deadline to return funds to the federal treasury

ISLAMABAD: Even as the educational authorities in the federal government struggle to find funds to operate a new set of buses in the federal capital, it has emerged that as many as 25 schools and colleges in the city had embezzled the bus funds provided to them.

The Federal Directorate of Education (FDE), has directed these institutions to return the embezzled sums to the national exchequer.

Sources in the FDE said that during an audit, reports of which were submitted to the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), it had emerged that the bus funds provided to schools and colleges in the federal capital were being misused by the heads of these schools.

Some government schools and colleges used the money for other, unapproved expenditure while some institution heads even diverted these funds into their personal accounts.

According to the documents, the schools which had reportedly misused or embezzled the funds include the Islamabad Model College for Girls (IMCG) in Sector F-7/4, IMCG in Sector G-10/4, Islamabad Model College for Boys (IMCB) in Sector F-10/4, IMCB in Sector H-9, IMCB Nilore, IMCG in Sector I-9/1 , IMCG in Sector G-6/14 , IMCG in Pind Malkan , IMCB Pind Begwal, IMCG in Sector G-8/4, IMCG Hardoghar, IMCG G-9/2 , IMCB Bhumbar Tarar, IMCG Kot Hathial, Islamabad Model School for Boys (IMSB) in Sector G-6/4, IMSB in Sector F-8/3, IMSB Sihala, IMSB Sangjiani, IMSB Shah Allah Ditta, IMSB Chiran, IMSB Shahdara, IMSB Tamir, Islamabad Model School for Girls (IMSG) in Sector F-7/2 , IMSG in Sector G-6/13 and IMSB Badhana Kalan.

The PAC had recommended that these institutions return the money to the federal treasury.

As a result, the FDE on June 12, 2016, issued a notification, directing these schools to return the funds. In the notice, the then FDE director general had expressed his extreme displeasure at the misuse of the funds and had ordered the schools to return the funds immediately.

However, some institutions procrastinated in returning the money, while others kept using the funds for different purposes.

Subsequently, the FDE in a recent notification formed a three-member committee under FDE Budget Director Amber Sultana and comprising  Audit Assistant Director Sarfaraz Ahmed and Audit Administration Officer Syed Wasif Hussain Zaidi to review the implementation of DG’s order and implement the recommendations of the PAC.

Moreover, the educational institutions listed have been directed to submit a deposit slip to the audit section within seven days.

FDE officials, who spoke to Daily Express on condition of anonymity, confirmed the development and said that some 22 model colleges have started implementing the orders of the FDE director general and have returned the money to the national exchequer.

Moreover, they have decided in principle to seek the finance ministry’s approval to regularise the expenditures made under the bus fund.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 6^th, 2019.