One wonders if all talk about Government giving free education is just a smokescreen or was the grant stopped at the whim and fancy of Reddy as Education Minister? Khalsa wants MOE to pay up outstanding money. If not, the Management has threatened to close the schools! Its not 'Water Under the Bridge' despite Reddy becoming the newly created Minister for Waterways and Sewage Plants
  In a series of e-mail exchanges between Iowane Ponipate Tiko, Permanent Secretary for Education, Heritage & Arts, and the Management of the Khalsa College and Khalsa Primary it is revealed that the MOE has an outstanding amount of $462,8976.17 for both of the schools - Khalsa College and Khalsa Primary in Labasa. The grant was stopped by the then Education Minister Mahendra Reddy. In one of the e-mails cited by Fijileaks and dated 27 October 2017, the Management rejects Tiko's claim that Free Education Grant (FEG) is to be used as per 6 stipulated allocations. The Management of Khalsa schools insist that rental of properties should also have been allocated and inserted within one of the allocations. "It’s unfair that our Committee is being deprived of not being paid for usage of buildings as the buildings rightfully belong to the Labasa Sikh Temple Committee," the Management wrote to Tiko. According to the School Management's records the MOE has an outstanding, unpaid FEG, amounting for both their schools as follows below: SGN Khalsa College 2015 $139,266.32 SGN Khalsa College 2016 $159,143.17 SGN Khalsa College 2017 $116,874.84 SGN Khalsa Primary 2017 $47,611.84 ------------------ TOTAL: $462,896.17 On 10 September 2017 Tiko had written to the Schools Management as follows: 'Good evening; Unfortunately the usage of FEG cannot be utilized through your so called leases/Rentals of the schools. The stipulated usage of FEG is supposed to be in accordance with the six allocations mentioned within the School Financial Management Handbooks 2013 of the Ministry of Education. The Hon Minister for Education and Prime Minister has issued a directive that all misused FEG money ought to be recovered through agreed instalments and these issues about school lease would need to be handled by the school management in some other ways but not from the Free Education Grant of government. This is where we will take to court all offenders who abuse the Free Education Grant for schools. For now we will centralize all FEG for both schools until all repayments of lease are repaid to the MOE. I hope a clear understanding on the issue will be reflected from the school management and other stakeholders. All other schools that have abused the usage of FEG, by doing what is not mentioned or mandated in the six allocations of the School Financial Management handbook of MOE have been requested to reimburse the amount taken in some monthly instalments as their FEGs will be centralize at the Education offices. I am just reiterating Mr. Singh the stand of our current Minister for Education. Thanks, Iowane Ponipate Tiko Permanent Secretary for Education Heritage & Arts Ministry of Education Headquarters Senikau House Suva, |   Bainimarama opening Telecentre at Shri Guru Khalsa College on 10 September 2013  GOVERNMENT Telecentre: Prime Minister Bainimarama opened the third out of the five telecentres in Vanua Levu at Shri Guru Nanak Khalsa College on 10 September 2013. This Telecentre is for the use of students during school hours and the rest of the community in the evening and on weekends. Bainimarama and Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum also took the opportunity to distribute copies of the 2013 Constitution and hold a Talanoa Session with the community members there.  Bainimarama signing copies of the 2013 Constitution   |
