Kolkata: The District Inspector of Schools (DI) of East Midnapore has lodged an FIR against four headmasters after funds meant for students under the ‘Taruner Swapna’ scheme were allegedly transferred to other accounts. The scheme provides financial assistance of Rs 10,000 to students of Class XI and XII for purchasing tablets, smartphones, or PCs.
According to sources, the funds were transferred to around 78,000 students in East Midnapore. However, 64 students from four schools reported not receiving the money. It was found that the funds had been deposited into incorrect accounts.
The affected schools include Muradpur Vivekananda Vidyapeeth, where 19 out of 189 students did not receive the assistance; Byabattarhat
Adarsha High School, with 11 out of 365 students affected; Natshal High School, where 25 out of 125 students did not receive the funds and Dibakarpur High School, with 9 out of 188 students reporting non-receipt. State School Education department officials stated that the money was initially deposited into the accounts listed for these 64 students but was later found to be incorrect.
Subhashish Mitra, DI (Secondary) of East Midnapore, said: “We have lodged an FIR and requested the police to investigate the matter to
determine how and why it happened and identify any involvement from headmasters, school staff or external parties and take appropriate actions against them.” The standard procedure requires school authorities to verify student names and account numbers before uploading the verification certificate to the Banglar Shiksha Portal, with the DI approving the list. Officials suspect errors may have occurred during this process.
School authorities argue that the portal may have been hacked, causing the discrepancies. They pointed out that hacking is widespread and questioned the responsibility placed on headmasters.
Chandan Maiti, State General Secretary of the Advanced Society for Headmasters and Headmistresses (ASFHM), stated that headmasters have no control over the portal and should not be held accountable for hacking incidents.
Maiti warned that if headmasters are arrested, the ASFHM would escalate protests to demand their exemption from non-academic responsibilities.