CONSTITUTION OF INDIAN SCHOOLS
November 17, 2001
Indian School Muscat may run Indian School Seeb
keralamonitor.com The proposed new Indian school in the Seeb-al Hail area is likely to remain a full fledged community school rather than a privately sponsored one as publicised by the promoters. It is learned that the higher authorities have reversed the decision of former Indian Ambassador Satnam Sing and decided that the proposed Indian school in Seeb will function purely as a community school. The higher authorities are of the view that the Indian community interest will be best served by a community school, which serves the ordinary Indian community members rather than a private school, which serves the promoters business interests.more
Seeb School; Former Indian Ambassador took a hasty decision Special Report: Even though membership in the School Boards is a voluntary service without any financial remuneration, there are some factors that encourage some of the members to remain in office for ten to fifteen years...One small school with less than 2000 students has got a surplus fund of RO 2,60,000 (equivalent to nearly Indian Rs. 3 crore.) Another school has gotr a surplus fund of RO 60,000 which in turn is under the full control of the school board. Watch this space for the follow up.
Seeb School; Former Indian Ambassador took a hasty decision
Why did Satnam Sing allow a committee for a non existing school
Satnam Singh was in a hurry to start Seeb School before leaving for Cairo The story of controversial Seeb School project is a clear example of the manner in which lobbying and counter lobbying for schools take place. Many eyebrows are raised about the strange role played by the former Indian Ambassador, Satnam Singh, the Patron of Indian school who haurriedly approved the school just before his transfer to Cairo.
It was to meet the educational needs of students from the Seeb area that a new school was proposed there. Even though the new Indian School in Seeb was yet to be named or obtain approval from the Ministry of Education, Oman, the former Indian Ambassador somehow formed a School Committee and inducted members to it6
The Board of Governors of Indian Schools did not approve the Seeb school proposal saying that there is no need for a fifth school in the capital region. However, the then Ambassador took a keen interest and formed a special committee and inducted his favourites to the board.
"How can the Indian Ambassador who got his transfer orders in March 2001 take a hasty decision on such an important subject like a school project just before his transfer? In addition to forming a school committee in the name of a non existing school, the Ambassador also decided in a hasty manner to induct the president of the same school committee -Mr. George Mathew -- into the Board of Governors of Indian Schools. Each school president is eligible to be represented in the board of Governors, the apex body controlling the functioning of Indian schools.
The former Ambassador must have got information about his transfer before March 2001 when he got the official order. 'As per the code of conduct for bureaucrats, he should not have taken a hasty decision to form school committee and allowed the president of a non existing school to sit in the Board of Governors,' said sources.
Even though newspaper reports said that the new school was all set to start operations from August 2001, subject to obtaining permissions from the authorities concerned, the school had unveiled its fee structure for classes starting for its first academic year. A circular issued by Kiran Hashar, Chairman of the Board of Directors said the admission fee was fixed at RO11 and a refundable deposit of RO110 (first child); RO10 for every additional child. The term fee (twice a year) is put at RO11. The tuition fees for KGI to grade IV is RO21 per month; grade V is RO22 per month; examination fee is RO1 per annum; insurance fee RO2 per annum; computer fee (for grades I to V) is RO2 per month and stationery fee is RO2 per annum (KG I and KG II only)! The promoter of the school had earlier claimed that the school would begin its classes from KG 1 to Grade V in August 2001. The school would begin their initial operations on a hired premises in the Seeb/Al Hail area and would then slowly set about forming a proper purpose-built school complex, the building of which they would take on a long-term lease.
However things have moved in a different direction. The omani authorities have not given green signal for the Seeb school. Now the president of the non existing school Mr. George Mathew, is likely to leave his membership in the Board of Governors as he is no longer the Seeb school president. The mute question is how the former Indian Ambassador could take such hasty decisions in favour of one group, especially because he was leaving his assignment before completing his full term in Oman.
School Constitution Protects Parent's Interest.
keralamonitor.com
The Indian Schools have been established to educate the children of the Indian community residing in Oman as per the syllabus and requirements of a Board of Secondary Education recognized by the Government of India or by one of the State Governments, says the Constitution Governing the Supervision and Management of the Indian Schools in the Sultanate of Oman. "All the activities of the schools shall be in accordance with the applicable rules and regulations of the Ministry of Education and Youth, Oman and the advise of the Embassy of India, which is responsible to the authorities for the Indian Schools in the Sultanate," says the preamble of the constitution, which is the basis of rules and procedures governing the Indian schools in Oman.
According to this document, the Indian schools shall be managed by a three level organization comprising of a Board of Governors of Indian Schools in the Sultanate, Management Committees for Individual schools and the School Administration headed by the Principals of various schools. The Board of Governors, as the apex body, will be responsible for monitoring the overall management of the schools. The Board of Governors will be assisted in the management of the schools by separate Managing Committees for each School. These MCs will function independently and will be centrally coordinated by the Board of Governors.
The Board of Governors will have eleven members. The Presidents of the Managing Committees of the Indian Schools in Darsait, Ghala, Muttrah and Salalah will be permanent members of the Board of Governors. The other seven members will be nominated according to the constitution for a specific period. In addition to the 11 members, the Presidents of Managing Committees of all other Indian schools in the Sultanate will be ex-officio members without voting rights. The Board may at its discretion invite any Indian national or person of Indian origin to advise on specific matters and such invitees need not be members of any committee. Ibra,. Rastak, etc. are added at a later.
The Patron will nominate the members of the Board from amongst Indian citizens or persons of Indian origin, resident in Oman, engaged in service, business or other occupations drawing upon the varied experience, knowledge and expertise most suitable for the achievement of the objectives enshrined in the constitution. Any vacancy arising in the Board due to resignations, disqualifications, retirement or any other reason, shall also be filled in the same manner.
The functions of the Board of Governors include coordination between Indian schools and the Ministry of Education, planning an integrated development of educational facilities for Indian children in the Sultanate and lay down policies and guidelines towards that end.
The board will "Monitor the overall functioning of the schools in order to ensure that the financial position of each school remains such that the School continues to be a viable entity. The Board will take timely action in case the viability of any school becomes suspect. Such action may include, in the ultimate case, suspension of the MC concerned, and taking over the functions on an interim basis in consultation with the Embassy. The Board shall be guided by the minutes of the Management Committee meetings of all schools in this regard.
Other functions of the Board include guiding schools on the recruitment of the principals and vice principals, appointing the auditors for all schools and review the auditors reports including the financial statements. The Board is also expected to monitor the retirement schedule of the members and the office bearers of the MC.
The Board of Governors shall not interfere in the working of the schools unless a situation arises in which gross irregularities are observed and intervention of the Board becomes essential in the overall interests of the community. In such cases, appropriate action shall be taken after the matter has been discussed by the Board with the Embassy of India.The members of the Board of Governors shall normally hold office for a period of two years. They will be eligible for reappointment for a further two terms of two years each. However, no member shall serve on the board for more than six years consecutively unless he has ceased to be a member for at least one year. Retirement will be on the basis of seniority, with the most senior member resigning first. In case of equal seniority, a decision on who should retire shall be taken by the Board through draw of lots. In the interest of continuity, it will be ensured that the number of new members in any one year on the Board does not normally exceed one third of the total membership.
As per the Indian School constitution, the nominee shall be a citizen of India or a person of Indian origin resident in the Sultanate. "The nominee shall not be an Omani citizen as per the rules of the Education ministry. The nominee shall not be a member of any of the Board for the last six consecutive years or any member of the managing Committees, except that presidents of the managing Committees of the Major School shall automatically be members of the board. Another criteria is that the nominee shall not have been convicted in a court of law in Oman, India or elsewhere for a criminal offence.
The office bearers of the board of Governors will have a Chairman and a Vice Chairman. 'The patron will nominate the Chairman and in consultation with patron, the Chairman will nominate other office bearers. The office bearers will be nominated for one year and they will be eligible for re nomination for another term of one year.
Each school is managed by a School Management Committee, to which the patron nominate members of the Management Committees in consultation with the board from amongst Indian citizens or persons of Indian origin resident in the Sultanate of Oman engaged in service, business or other occupations, drawing upon the experience, knowledge and expertise suitable for the schools objectives. Any vacancy arising in the Management Committee due to resignations, disqualifications, retirement or for any other reason shall also be filled in the same manner.The school management committees are responsible for the overall supervision and management of individual schools. They will inter alia monitor the school administration headed by the Principal and ensure compliance with the various rules and regulations of the Ministry, other Government authorities and the affiliating Board of Education; guide and assist the school administration in obtaining permissions from various Government agencies if needed and liaise with the Ministry on matters which the Board of Governors is not dealing with. The management committees operate bank accounts of the school, guide and assist the school administration in raising funds for the school and decide the award of major contracts and purchase orders, give guidance to the School Administration on matters like staff welfare, staff and student discipline etc. within the framework set by the board.
They also deal with grievances and other such matters referred to it b the School administration, which they are unable to resolve on their own and arrange for the future planning of the school under the guidance given by the Board. Approving and recruiting additional staff requirements,The responsibility of the day to day administration of the school rests with the School administration headed by the Principal and MC shall not interfere in it unless the MC are convinced that such intervention is essential for the proper functioning of the school.
The Constitution of Indian community schools clearly define the number of members in the school management committees. Accordingly, Indian school Darsait (now Indian School Muscat), the largest Indian community school in the Gulf region, have 21 members followed by 11 members each in Indian School Ghala, Indian School Muttrah (now Indian school Darsait) and five members each for Indian school Sur, Nizwa, Ibri, Sohar and Khasab. Afterwards five more schools have been added to the list of Indian community schools in Oman.
The Principal of the School is a non-voting ex-officio member. The patron can change the number of members in any committee if the situation warrants. In case any new schools are opened, the board of governors shall decide the number of members for such new school management committees.
There is no basic Qualifications for becoming a MC member because the main criteria is whether the nominee is an Indian citizen or Indian origin. The member must not be an Omani citizen. The nominee should not have been convicted in a court of law in Oman, India or elsewhere for a criminal offence. MC of the major schools consists of a school president, vice president, Convener and Co-Convener and a Treasurer. In the case of other schools MCs consist of a president, Convener and Treasurer. In addition, the Chairman of the Subcommittees, individually or collectively, may be co-opted as office bearers by the president from time to time.
The school president is nominated by the patron in consultation with the Chairman of the board. The other office bearers will be nominated by the president. The office bearers will be appointed for a period of one year. They are eligible for renomination once and no office bearer may serve for more than two consecutive terms in the same position. In case of a dispute in the selection process, the board will nominate the office bearers from among the members of the committee, in consultation with the Embassy. All disputes within the committee will be referred to the board for adjudication. In case the board is unable to handle the matter, it will be referred to the Indian Embassy whose decision will be final.
There are also subcommittees for Finance and planning, Academic and Sports, Welfare and Grievances and Purchases. The office bearers of major schools will be assisted in the management of the schools by these sub-committees. The Finance and Planning subcommittee will prepare budgets and ensure that all expenditure is within the approved budget for the year, recommend financial control measures to the MC, organise fund raising campaigns, under the direction and supervision of the MC AND any other matter connected with finance referred by the school administration.
Academic and Sports sub committees will monitor whether the school syllabus is completed in time and in a satisfactory manner. It will also monitor whether the physical education is being imparted in the most optimal manner, guide and assist the school administration in the selection of the staff. At least one member of the Sub-Committee shall be on the interview panel. This subcommittee also investigates and make recommendations to the MC in cases of severe student indiscipline.
Welfare & Grievances sub-committee will establish staff and welfare schedule and give policy guidelines on staff perquisites. These guidelines should be approved by the main committee. It will also handle all grievances of the staff which cannot be handled at the level of the school administration. The subcommittee also investigate cases of severe staff indiscipline and recommend actions by the MC.
The Purchases Wing is one of the most coveted subcommittees because it assists in purchasing various items required by the school at the best possible prices, including help in the formulation of specifications and floatation of tenders where large sums of money are involved. This sub committee also approve and monitor the disposal of redundant school assets in the best interest of the school and provide guidelines to the school administration for sale of items to the students. Awarding service and maintenance contracts is another plum assignment handled by the purchase subcommittee.
Each subcommittee shall have as members approximately one fourth of the members of the main committee, excluding the principal of the school and quorum requirements may be laid down by the main committee. Sub committee members will be selected by the School president of the management committee in consultation with the Vice presidents and convener or co convener. Subcommittee members will be nominated for one year, and are eligible for reappointment without any bar on the number of times. Each subcommittee will be headed by a chairman and vice chairman appointed by the school president for one year, eligible for reappointment.'Each member of the subcommittee will be deemed to have exercised his or her responsibility in good faith and to the best of the members ability. Non personal liability will attach to any member for their liabilities to the school.'
The community funded schools will be non-political non-profit making educational institutions which will be financed mainly by the fees and deposits. In addition to the fees, as and when necessary, additional finance can be mobilised through suitable cultural or other fund-raising programmes including donations. All financial transactions should be through a bank/banks registered in Oman and accounts shall be operations procedures are laid down by the Managing Committee. Another rule to ensure transparent financial transactions is that all schools will have their accounts audited by a firm of Auditors registered in the Sultanate of Oman. The auditors will be appointed by the board and will submit their report to the concerned MC and the Board.
'No member of the board, MC, Sub-committee or School Administration individually or collectively will in any manner commit any School to any financial or other liabilities in a personal capacity. No one can give a loan from the school funds to any person or organisation, nor can such a loan be guaranteed in any manner by anyone on behalf of any schools. The funds of the school are for furthering the education of the Indian children and should be specifically used for the purpose. The day to day school administration is the responsibility of he school principal. An internal auditor, reporting to the Treasurer will be appointed by the major schools whose enrollment exceeds 2,000 students.
Patron and Custodian of various Indian schools in Oman is the Indian ambassador to the Sultanate. The Custodian of the Schools shall be the Embassy of India and all the assets of the community funded schools shall be deemed to be vested in it. The School Constitution can be substantially amended only with the written approval of the Embassy of India, by a Constitution Committee nominated by the patron. In case of minor amendments to meet changing circumstances, the MCs or the board can send their suggestions in writing to the patron and the same will be considered by the Embassy on merits. Any changes in the Constitution must be approved in writing by the Embassy, and the communication approving the charges will be sent by the Embassy to the Chairman of the board. The Chairman will be responsible to circulate those to all the members of the board and to the MCs. The constitution of the schools shall be considered a public document and all members of the community shall be permitted to have access to it.
Members of the board and MCs shall conduct themselves in the spirit of service to the children of Indian community in Oman. Their membership of the board and the committees will be honorary and no member shall benefit financially or otherwise from his or her membership of the Board of the managing committees. Pursuant to the above, no member shall participate in any discussion or voting in case a contract or purchase is being considered for which an organisation associated with him has made a bid. Information on the other bids received shall also not be circulated to such members. All members will refrain from lobbying or otherwise attempting to influence the decision of the concerned members in any contract being awarded or purchase being made by the schools.
The chairman of the board will be at the apex of the organisation supervising the functioning of Indian schools in Oman. He will have to ensure that the spirit and content of the constitution is being upheld, preside over the board meetings and supervise the overall functioning of the board, liaise with the embassy on matters concerning the schools, be the spokesman of the board for all matters, discharge all other responsibilities specfiied in the constitution. The Vice Chairman will depute on behalf of the Chairman whenever the Chairman is absent. He will also carry out any other functions deputed to him by the Chairman.
The president of the MC will be the head of the school management organisation. He will preside over the meetings of the MC and will have the overall responsibility for the management of the school. He will have the authority to form and dissolve sub committees as and when the need arises in consultation with the other office bearers. He will evaluate the performance of the principal and issue letters of commendation and warnings as may be required. If necessary the president in consultation with the office bearers will recommend replacement of the principal to the board. The presidents of the major schools will represent their respective schools on the board of governors.
The treasurer is the Chairman of Finance and planning committee and he will ensure that a budget is prepared and submitted to the MC in time and that the actual expenditure is within the prescribed budgetary limits and that approval for over runs is received from the committee. He will supervise the work of the internal auditor for many schools, who will report to the treasurer. He will also ensure that the accounts keeping function is being maintained in the prescribed manner by the school administration. Monitoring the liquidity position of the school and go for fund raising campaigns when necessary. The treasurer will also advise the committee on safe optimal investment opportunities for any suprlus funds.
Nowadays, the conservative Gulf media is full of sensational stories about mismanagement in various Indian schools...Recent news breaks by leading Indian journalists are the following...
Plans afoot to replace members from Indian school boards
Pay Rs 50,000 (as bribe), become a teacher
The Oman Daily Observer, one of the leading English dailies from Muscat carried the following report...
In line with Oman's drive to improve transparency and accountability, the concerned Indian school authorities have started a reform process.The Indian Ambassador who is the patron of Indian schools in Oman is studying the functioning of various Indian schools in view of a number of complaints received from parents and other quarters about the allegedly high fees structure and lack of financial transparency in some of the schools.
