Maharashtra board yet to pay schools for power back-up

MUMBAI: Member of legislative council, Ramnath Mote has alleged that several centres which conducted the HSC and SSC examinations earlier this year are yet to get funds for the power back up they had to install. A teachers’ association has threatened not to give its schools as centres for the board examinations in October 2015.
“The state and the Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education had asked schools to install generators to ensure that students taking the board examination are not inconvenienced by power cuts.School managements did it but now they haven’t received funds to pay the bills,” said Anil Bornare, member of the Mumbai Shikshak Parishad.
A Bombay High Court bench headed by Justice Abhay Oka was hearing a petition filed by activist Vishnu Gawli about the lack of preparation by the state for a power outage during the SSC and HSC examinations and had directed the state to supply the emergency power equipment at all centres immediately.
State authorities have denied that there was any delay in payments. “The state can make payments only after bills are submitted and approved. I have yet not received any bills for generators so how can we give out money to these centres?” said Nand Kumar, secretary, school education.
However, Bornare said that the bills were submitted to the education department. “The education inspectors have told us that the payments will be made by the state board but the state board said it was only monitoring the facilities,” he said.