June 30, 2008	Monday	Jamadi-us-Sani 25, 1429

NAROWAL, June 29: The maiden audit of the Narowal Public School reveals irregularities in managerial work and embezzlement of funds by the principal.

The audit has been conducted by a team of senior auditors, headed by the district accounts officer, on the instructions of the district coordination officer (who is also chairman of the school’s Board of Governors). Established in the early 1990s, the school is being run by the district administration and considered one of the major public-sector institutions here.

The audit report alleged that Anwar Kamal Bela, the school principal, had not deposited Rs137,000 with the institution funds which he had received from the sale of produce of the (school) land from 2005 to 2007. He had also failed to deposit Rs80,000 taken as loan for two months from the school fund in 2006.

The school record showed, said the report, that Rs93,985 had been paid to the non-teaching staff as a raise without approval by the competent authority. Further, it said, a teacher was recruited by the school administration and her degree proved fake but the school neither initiated any criminal action against her nor did it recover Rs42,580 paid to her as salaries.

According to the audit report, the purchases of Rs136,422 were made without following the required procedure and standard. Misuse of school vehicles, non-maintenance of the travel log and proper record of school assets, irregular POL expenses, misuse of telephone facilities, and non-reconciliation of accounts with the bank also were pointed out in the audit.

The school principal, however, denied the charges by dubbing the findings of the audit report as “a non-serious and prejudiced work based on hearsay”. It is learnt that the principal has been drawing salaries from the school fund without approval for the last two years.

Meanwhile, the parents of many students have complained about the principal’s misbehaviour with them which, they say, is resulting in dropouts in the school.

DCO Waqas Ali Mahmood told Dawn that he had received many complaints about the school after which he ordered an audit to probe the charges. He said he had not seen the audit report, however, anyone found guilty of malpractice must be dealt with an iron fist.

The DCO said he had constituted a committee to draft rules and regulations for the school.