The Ministry of Education is currently working on creating the School Management Handbook specifically for government schools. During a public submission related to the 2022 Audit Report on the Social Services Sector, permanent secretary Selina Kuruleca informed the Parliamentary Committee that all non-government schools already have a School Management Handbook in place.
Ms. Kuruleca mentioned that with the reintroduction of the Board of Governors for government schools scheduled for April 2024, the ministry is focusing on drafting the handbook to clearly define the roles and responsibilities of the Board of Governors. The goal is to complete the draft of the handbook by the fourth quarter of the 2024-2025 financial year, followed by consultations with stakeholders before its implementation.
Currently, there are 13 government schools, which consist of 11 secondary schools and two primary schools. When questioned about the submission and scrutiny of acquittal reports from government schools, Ms. Kuruleca explained that these schools are not mandated to submit such reports. Instead, they adhere to the School Management Handbook from 2020 for non-government schools and the ministry’s finance manual until their own handbook is finalized.
She clarified that submissions of acquittals for free education grants are not necessary for the release of funds, and consequently, government schools will not be providing acquittal reports. Instead, they submit monthly bank reconciliations, which the ministry processes to verify the accuracy of the submissions made by government schools. Free Education Grants are disbursed to those schools that meet the grant payment conditions, which include providing bank reconciliation statements and completing class audits.