By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Feb 20: Notwithstanding occasional technical issues, the Education department on Thursday assured funds for government and aided schools are being released on time, with a dedicated system in place to monitor and expedite disbursements.
Secretary of the Education department, Swapnil Tembe, provided an update on the status of financial allocations, emphasizing ongoing efforts to ensure smooth and timely releases despite occasional technical challenges. “For all government schools, we have released funds. For aided schools, which receive aid on a quarterly basis, we have already provided funds until December. In fact, for some schools, we have even released funds for the fourth quarter. For the remaining cases, the process is underway and will be expedited,” Tembe stated.
He further explained that since last year, a dedicated committee has been overseeing the process, holding monthly meetings to review fund releases for various schools. He highlighted that the financial structure varies between government and aided schools. In the case of government institutions, funds are primarily allocated for salaries, and the state has ensured that all categories have been covered up to January.
Regarding concerns raised by some government-aided schools over delayed payments, Tembe acknowledged occasional technical issues due to the online financial system. He noted that changes in the Block Development Officer (BDO) or the Drawing and Disbursement Officer (DDO) could sometimes cause delays. However, he assured, “As far as government schools are concerned, we have released all necessary funds.”
Tembe also highlighted the department’s proactive approach, noting that regular monthly reviews help facilitate advance disbursements, reducing delays. “The good part is that we are reviewing the process every month. We meet, monitor, and release funds in advance,” he added.
Explaining the funding model for aided schools, he stated, “Aided schools receive government support under various aid schemes, with funds generally released quarterly. We have already disbursed funds up to December.”
Regarding deficit secondary and deficit higher secondary schools, Tembe assured that the Education department is currently working on the present quarter’s allocation. “We released the quarterly funds in December for all types of aided schools. For the current quarter, we are finalising the details, which will be addressed shortly.”