KHANEWAL, Oct 24: A senior teacher of the Khanewal Special Education School for Hearing Impaired allegedly committed several financial irregularities during his stint as officiating headmaster lasting not over six months and an inquiry to ascertain the veracity of a complaint filed by his successor is pending, Dawn has learnt.
The teacher, however, has refuted the allegations, and said he was being made scapegoat as officials of the district administration, particularly the community development department, were unhappy with him after considering him an impediment in their endeavours to make some money out of purchases made for the school.
The headmaster’s slot had been lying vacant for the past nine months and two senior schoolteachers, Asad Habib and Gulfam Ahmad, officiated as headmaster till the incumbent Muhammad Shafique took over the charge as a permanent headmaster on Aug 8.
Documents available with Dawn reveal that Mr Gulfam took over the charge from Mr Asad on June 1, 2007. Mr Asad had been holding the charge for the past six months.
Before his transfer to another locality, Mr Gulfam vide letter No GSES/KWL/0795 dated Aug 6, wrote to the executive district officer (EDO) for community development that Mr Asad did not pay the utility bills worth Rs13,483 for the month of April 2007, but showed as much amount paid under this head by making forged entries in the cashbook.
Mr Asad did not incorporate distribution of salary for the month of June 2007 in the cashbook, Mr Gulfam alleged and added that the school record indicated launching of two study and recreational tours — one to Lahore and the other to Bahawalpur — but these trips had never been launched.
Mr Gulfam said the school remained closed from April 21 to May 16, but Mr Asad prepared a forged attendance register for class-VI for a period starting April 23 and ending May 26 to show that the school was open. He further alleged that Mr Asad drew Rs46,593 against the expenses incurred on purchasing fuel for school vehicles. He said the cashbook entries also suggested that the same amount had been paid to the petrol pump owner, but the owner subsequently sent a Rs74,800 bill, including the said amount.
Mr Asad also drew a sum of Rs72,420 in order to purchase hearing aid material and in this connection made a requisition carrying forged signatures of his colleagues. Besides this, a large quantity of valuables, including ceiling and pedestal fans, gas heaters, desks and chairs, carts and other items, existed in the stock prior to Mr Asad’s taking charge had gone missing, Mr Gulfam alleged.
District Coordination Officer (DCO) Rao Shakeel confirmed that the deputy district officer for human resource management was conducting an inquiry.
“I will further look into the matter by checking the outcome of the probe from the inquiry officer and if anyone proved guilty, he will be taken to task,” he said.
The sitting headmaster, Muhammad Shafique, told Dawn that he had no information about any irregularity committed by anyone.
“I took over charge from Mr Gulfam on Aug 7, but don’t know who is involved in this scam.” He said he had not seen any document or inquiry letter in this connection.
Mr Asad denied the allegations and blamed Mr Gulfam for dragging him into the alleged scam.
He said he had arranged a function at the school in February this year where a parliamentary secretary was invited to be the chief guest and the DCO to preside it over. He said the DCO got annoyed with him because, according to the DCO, he was not given a due protocol.
After the function, Mr Asad said, officials of the district community development department, which was parent department of the special education wing, started efforts to remove him from the slot at any cost.
“In fact, they had to carry out heavy purchases of costly items for the school, and perhaps they were of the view that in my presence, they would not be able to make some money out of the process.” He said that was why he was replaced by Mr Gulfam to carry out the desired procurement process. Mr Gulfam, he alleged, happened to be the blue-eyed boy of the district administration.
He alleged that in connivance with community development officials, Mr Gulfam fabricated the concocted story just to kick him out of this school.
“I paid all utility bills and fuel charges accordingly and other allegations are also baseless,” he said adding, “I didn’t know how a petty mistake of giving some preference to parliamentary secretary over the then DCO, Muhammad Khan Khichi, will bring him to upheavals unnecessarily.”
Community Development officiating EDO Nasir Khan and Mr Gulfam were unavailable for comment.