RIYADH, 17 March — The management of International Indian School, Riyadh, has denied allegations of financial misappropriations, nepotism and confrontation with teachers, saying that these allegations are “baseless and misleading”.
The IISR management also reversed a decision to deduct SR100 from the salaries of some 200 school staff and started refunding the money. The deduction was a penalty for the staff’s failure to sell a specific number of entry tickets for a fun fair that was held on Jan. 24.
Speaking on behalf of the IISR management committee, Chairman Wasi Haider Rizvi said it was “surprising that the teachers, who used to come to us to alleviate their grievances, went to the press directly this time. This panel, which has addressed all the grievances of the school staff during its tenure, has also opened channels of communication.”
Referring to the report published on Thursday, Rizvi said the principal and the director have not been made ineffective. “In policy matters, the panel has to give them instructions within the framework of the rules. The panel has enjoyed the patronage of the Indian Embassy mainly because of its untainted image, better management and a visionary approach.”
Rizvi lampooned Afzal Ali Jagirdar, a member in his own panel, saying: “Jagirdar is making allegations for cheap publicity and for winning the support of parents as he knows that the school election is round the corner”. “Why doesn’t he come up with a full case, to be probed either by the Education Ministry or the embassy,” Rizvi asked. He also said Jagirdar has never won a lawsuit against the management as he claimed.
Rizvi said the fun fair, organized with an aim to help poor students, generated SR204,430. Out of this, SR149,040 has already been disbursed among needy students from 66 families, he revealed.
