POINT, Hanover — The Ministry of Education, Skills, Youth & Information’s Region One Director Ottis Brown has sounded the alarm over what he alleges are numerous accounting breaches in primary schools within Kingston and St Andrew. Here is what is happening now, colleagues. We are getting documents from the Integrity Commission (IC) for principals to be investigated… Accountability is stepping up,” he said.
Brown made the revelation, Tuesday, during the second of a three-day back-to-school conference for Region One that was held at Grand Palladium Hotel and Spa in Point, Hanover. “Stakeholders in the communities are writing to the ministry. They talk about what they observe in schools.
They go to a school and they get no receipt for the money they pay. They call you and ask if they should get a receipt and what it should look like,” he told an audience of educators. The regional director said primary schools are the main offenders.
“Do you know where we tend to find the bulk of the breaches now? It’s a serious problem,” said Brown. While he conceded that there may be administrative issues such as inadequate staff that impact how money is handled, he said there can be no excuse for some of the behaviour seen.
Why would you keep money in excess of a million dollars locked up in a room for two, three weeks, months, and so forth? The bursar not being there caused that? So what I’m saying: I know you need those people, and we are working on that, but don’t do things to set up yourselves in the process,” added the senior officer.
Acting Chief Education Officer Terry-Ann Thomas Gayle in dialogue with senior parliamentary secretary in the Ministry of Education, Skills, Youth and Information Marlon Morgan during Tuesday’s Region One Back-to-School Conference held at the Grand Palladium Hotel and Spa in Point, Hanover. (Photo: Anthony Lewis) Brown used the opportunity to explain proper administrative procedures when handling school funds. “I beg you, lodge the money in a reasonable time frame.
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