COPE recommendations to avoid financial fraud in post-grad institutions ignored

Higher education officials have failed to report the present status and progress on the Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE) recommendations delivered last year.

These recommendations were delivered after the committee studied the 2019 Auditor General’s report on the Postgraduate Institute of Science affiliated to the University of Peradeniya.

Among the recommendations was an instruction to prepare methodologies to avoid financial frauds in all nine post graduate institutes in the country.

“Out of the sum of Rs. 93,287,025/obtained from February 01 of 2009 to December 31 of 2016, after closing 14 fixed deposits maintained by the

Post Graduate Institute in the Peradeniya branch of Peoples’ Bank, Rs. 37,948,865/- had been invested in new fixed deposits. Here, the senior assistant bursar had been involved in a financial fraud as the balance amount of Rs. 50,338,160/- had not been deposited in a current account and had been obtained for personal use. In addition to the said amount Rs. 5,000,000/- had been misused for a period of around six months and had been re-deposited,” the Auditor General revealed in the 2019 report.

The AG highlighted the insufficient research conducted by the institution on this financial irregularity.

The COPE observing this has recommended conducting workshops for academic staff of all universities on the financial regulations and on the contents of the Establishments Code.

The Parliamentary committee also recommended giving transfers to bursars from time to time based on a proper policy. It also recommended the establishing of a permanent sub-committee in the University Grants Commission (UGC) to strengthen administrative and financial matters.

The Secretary to the Education Ministry, the Chairman of the University Grants Commission and the Director of the Post Graduate Institute had been cited as officials responsible for implementing the recommendations.

The COPE’s first report for this year also highlighted that the Education Ministry, UGC and the Post Graduate Institute affiliated to the Peradeniya University had failed to report the progress the Committee has raised with regard to the Environmental Impact Assessment report of the construction of a proposed Badulla-Kandy expressway.

“The committee’s attention was paid towards the payment of Rs. six million which has been paid through this institution (Post Graduate Institute) in the year 2011 for this project before the submission of the EIA report,” the report further said.

Last year, the COPE recommended conducting an inquiry as to how this money had been paid and whether the money had been properly spent. It also told the officials responsible to report the observations to the committee.