Government high and secondary schools across Tamil Nadu are yet to receive their allocated funds for retail expenses, including electricity bills, for the 2024-2025 financial year. As a result, school principals have been forced to cover these costs from their own pockets, raising concerns over the delay in fund disbursement.
Under the existing scheme, the Tamil Nadu government provides up to ₹50,000 annually in two installments for various school expenses, including stationery, official travel allowances, and electricity bills. The allocation depends on the number of students in each school, and principals are required to submit expense details to the treasury by the end of March each year.
However, principals have expressed frustration over the delay in receiving funds for both the current and previous financial years. They revealed that while schools received the first installment for 2023-2024, the second installment never arrived. Similarly, the 2024-2025 funds have not yet been released, forcing many to pay electricity bills ranging from ₹10,000 to ₹60,000 using personal funds.
For primary and middle schools, electricity bills are paid directly by the respective district education officers. However, for over 9,000 government high and secondary schools, the current system requires principals to pay first and claim reimbursement from the government.
Amid growing concerns, School Education Minister Mahesh had earlier assured that the government would take over the responsibility of paying electricity bills for these schools. However, this promise remains unfulfilled.
With March already underway and the deadline for submitting expense details fast approaching, principals are urging the government to release the pending funds immediately and implement a direct payment system for electricity bills without further delay.
(With inputs from Dinamalar)
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