133 Ahmedabad grant-in-aid schools told to return ₹2.9 crore in excess grants

Around 133 grant-in-aid schools in Ahmedabad have been served final recovery notices by the District Education Officer, asking them to return roughly ₹2.9 crore drawn in excess of what they were entitled to.

How schools end up owing money

Grants to aided schools are calculated each year from student enrolment, then audited against what the school actually had. Where the audit finds a school drew more than its entitlement, usually because enrolment came in below the figure the grant was built on, the surplus is repayable. These are not fines for wrongdoing. They are refunds of money the school was never entitled to keep.

The numbers

• At least 14 schools owe between ₹5 lakh and ₹62.6 lakh each.
• The single largest liability, ₹62.5 lakh, sits with Jay Somnath School in Maninagar.
• Schools must deposit the outstanding amounts without delay and submit proof; those who have already paid must produce receipts for verification.

These notices are marked final because earlier reminders went unanswered. The DEO has warned that continued non-compliance could lead to the district collector placing liens on school property to force recovery. That is the point at which an accounting dispute starts affecting the building the children sit in.

What this means if your child studies at one

The useful question is not who owes what. It is where the repayment money comes from. At a grant-dependent school, a recovery of this size typically surfaces somewhere else: delayed salaries, deferred maintenance, or a new “voluntary” contribution attached to the next fee cycle. If your school is on the list, ask the management directly how the repayment is being funded. Do it before the next fee circular arrives, not after.

CareerBox News Desk, reporting on final recovery notices issued by the District Education Officer, Ahmedabad. Official portal: education.gujarat.gov.in. Dates and eligibility change; confirm them on the official portal before you act.