Education dept inquiry indicts Adarsh school management in Faridkot for financial irregularities

A three-member inquiry panel looking into financial irregularities at three Adarsh schools in the region has recommended to the state education department to take back control from Sukh Sagar Avenue Welfare Association, the organisation running these schools. The government supports the Adarsh schools which are run under the public-private partnership (PPP) mode. As many as 24 such schools were opened in 2011.

Teachers and parents had complained that the management committee chairman at these three schools, Narinder Singh Randhawa, was fleecing students at Middumann and Pakka Kalan villages in Faridkot and at Adarsh School, Ransain Kalan, in Moga.

According to allegations, Randhawa charged students for books which are to be given for free, created fake firms to claim bills and received salaries against fake appointments.

Principal Prabhjot Kaur, principal Rajwinder Singh and head-teacher Jaswinder Singh were part of the panel that had conducted the inquiry in December 2017. Faridkot education officer (secondary) had formed this panel.

In its report, that HT has access to, the panel records that Randhawa cheated the education department, the students and their parents. The panel also claims that he also defrauded the state government of lakhs of rupees by raising bills from a fake firm.

“Blank bills of these fake firms were found in his papers,” the inquiry reports notes. It adds, “We should look for the new options to run these schools. We fear that the staff at Adarsh School, Middumann, is not safe under the current management. To avoid any fortunate incident, this management should be asked to give up control.”

Randhawa and his son Jasmeet Singh Randhawa are currently out on the bail from the Punjab and Haryana high court in a rape case. “Since the current management took over the school in October 2016, it has remained at loggerheads with teachers and failed to maintain a suitable environment for studies,” the report adds.

District education officer (secondary) Baljit Kaur Brar said, “The inquiry report has been sent to the higher authorities.” Director general school education, Prashant Goyal, did not respond to repeated calls and messages.