By Crispina Cummings
Finance and Development Committee in parliament was in Pujehun district to engage the Holy Rosary and Saint Paul’s secondary school who were being investigated for alleged improper record-keeping and possible misuse of funds.
After a thorough questioning of officials of both schools, the committee found out that the authorities were used to making withdrawals from their bank accounts without due recourse to accountability and straight records.
It also noticed that bank statements presented by the school authorities proved the accounts were in red with Le10 million deficit yet they continued to withdraw money from it.
The committee described as “strange and baffling” responses by the bursar who said the school had no overdraft arrangement with the bank. The probe also discovered that the junior and senior secondary schools had the same account which the committee said was “unfortunate and improper”.
The district council chairman, Sadiq Sillah said one of the schools had a serious problem and since it was under the purview of council he had to intervene and supervise.
He confirmed that the junior and secondary schools had one account which was being run by only one principal, adding that because the school was a mission school there was a huge problem with who should be a member of the board.
Sillah said that the question was “who authorized the expenditures and who were the signatories to the account?”
The acting bursar of St. Paul School, Keifa Kamara said Reverend Paul and Vice Principal Hedison Minah were the signatories to the account. Both were absent for the hearing.
Deputy Chairman of the committee, Foday Suma, MP, asked that all school fees that were paid into the accounts but used by the school authorities must be accounted for and an explanation given on how the school was being run with an account in red. The vice principal said a lot of students had not paid their school fees.
Chairman of the committee, Hassan Sheriff, MP, resolved that they either report the next day with very recent bank statements in Bo or produce monies they were said to have misused.
The principals of both schools said they do have boards. They were asked to present their appointment letters to that effect.
The committee also asked the acting bursar of Holy Rosary School, Musu Sesay on how much they collected for the whole term as school fees but she could not produce anything. They too were asked to present all documents to the committee in Bo by Thursday.
Committee members expressed surprise as to why both schools could withdraw from accounts with no money in them. Both schools bank with the Rokel Commercial Bank.
