Schools against accounts on web

Puja Pednekar

Objecting to the latest government resolution (GR) issued on July 15, the private and unaided school
forum are complaining about the clause that makes it mandatory for schools to display their balance
sheets and accounts information on their websites.

"A balance sheet contains a lot of information about the school's expenses and accounts. By uploading it on the web, the whole world will get unrestricted access to it.We fear blackmailers or harassment by troublemakers," said Rohan Bhat, principal, children Academy, Malad.

Members of the school forum say they do not mind submitting all the financial documents to the authorities in the education department or supplying such information on request of the Parents-Teachers' Association (PTA). However, putting it online, they say, might mean that it could fall in the wrong hands.

"We also want the parents to have faith in us, and if it can be achieved through transparency, we welcome it. But putting such important documents online will attract the eyes of negative characters and also divert the school's attention, said Deepshikha Srivastava, principal of Rajhans Vidyalaya, Santa Cruz.

The unaided schools forum is also objecting to the caps imposed on several expenses like printing, stationery, library, repairs, furniture, etc. "There is a 6% cap on all these expenses. It is not fair to have a blanket policy since expenditures vary from school to school," said Bhat.