All private schools in Sambhajinagar told to carry out financial, structural & safety audits

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: The Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Zilla Parishad (ZP) has directed all private aided, unaided and self-financed secondary and higher secondary schools in the district to complete financial, structural and safety audits before June 15, warning of administrative action for non-compliance.The order, issued on instructions of ZP CEO Minnu PM, will bring around 1,307 private schools under scrutiny. Officials said inspection teams have already been formed to verify audit records and compliance across institutions.ZP education officer (secondary) Ashwini Lathkar said schools must be fully prepared for inspections. “When the designated team visits a school, school authorities must ensure that there is no negligence in producing the necessary documents, certificates and records,” she said.Officials outlined that financial audits will examine utilisation of govt grants, account records, expenditure statements, salary disbursal and fee collection details. Structural audits will assess building safety certificates, classroom conditions, laboratories, toilets, fire safety systems and emergency exits, along with basic student facilities. Safety audits will focus on measures such as CCTV surveillance, deployment of security guards and disaster management preparedness.

While ZP-run schools are regularly audited, the move to bring private institutions under similar review has been welcomed by parents.“Private schools often consider themselves immune to the law of the land. It is good that the ZP administration is trying to rein in private schools. We hope authorities take action against private schools that exhibit shortcomings in different audits,” said a parent, requesting anonymity.