Ludhiana: Giaspura School head seeks CM intervention
The issue was brought to light by the officiating head teacher, Sukhdhir Sekhon, who reported that by December last year, the school had completely run out of wheat grains, leaving only a small quantity of rice
Following the disappearance of several quintals of ration allocated for the Mid-Day Meal scheme at the Government Primary School (GPS) in Giaspura, the district education officer (DEO) elementary had previously initiated a preliminary inquiry into the matter. However, in light of the continued inaction and absence of any concrete outcomes, the officiating head of the institution has now escalated the issue by formally writing to the chief minister.
DEO Ravinder Kaur, had ordered an inquiry in January, into the mismanagement of food grain stock at the school, after a major discrepancy was found between the food grain stock recorded in October 2024 and the actual amount available at the school.
The issue was brought to light by the officiating head teacher, Sukhdhir Sekhon, who reported that by December last year, the school had completely run out of wheat grains, leaving only a small quantity of rice.
Responding to the situation, DEO Kaur directed the block primary education officer (BPEO) of Sidhwan Bet, Hardev Singh, to conduct the inquiry.
According to an enquiry report, on October 23 last year, 85 quintals of wheat and 97 quintals of rice were marked as delivered to the school. However, staff members have confirmed that no such stock ever reached the premises.
In fact, receipts for these quantities were issued to the vendor, but the school never received the rice, leading to a serious supply shortage. Making matters worse, the school’s storeroom lacks the capacity to even hold such large quantities, raising further questions about how such a large-scale discrepancy went unnoticed.
DEO informed that she has submitted an enquiry report to higher authorities on May 7, recommending strict action against the school’s former head teacher and several staff members allegedly involved in the matter.
Highlighting the ongoing challenges, Sekhon explained, “As per block-level records, we appear to have ample food stock, but in reality, we don’t. When we request additional supplies, the system shows we have enough, which isn’t true. This mismatch is directly impacting our ability to provide mid-day meals.”
Sekhon further shared that a few days ago, the state coordinator of the Mid-Day Meal Scheme visited the school. “I explained the entire issue to him. He assured that he would look into the matter,” he said.
During an October visit to the school last year, DEO Kaur also discovered multiple irregularities, including discrepancies in student attendance records, mismatches between the attendance register and the e-Punjab portal, and incomplete stock registers for uniforms. Furthermore, the January 2024 grants for room construction had not been verified, and OMR sheets for competency assessments were reportedly missing from several classes.