RIYADH, 5 May 2004 — Despite a revenue of SR22.178 million last year, the International Indian School Riyadh (IISR) recorded a deficit this year of over SR1.153 million.
Parents blame mismanagement and point out 2002 performed was better. The revenue was SR22.236 million and expenditure exceeded SR21.856 million.
Claiming transparency in its operations, the management committee has placed the school’s budget on the noticeboard and the school’s website www.iisriyadh.com.
Parents, however, say expenditure of SR971,424 classed as “others” is an example of the lack of transparency.
Niaz Ahmed Khan, IISR’s chariman, insisted that operations were fully transparent and parents could contact him for the breakdown of expenditures or any other clarification.
Among items that have led to an increase in expenditures are teachers’ salaries, rents, building maintenance, vehicle repair and maintenance and insurance premiums. As part of a cost-cutting drive, the school discontinued printing the school magazine and reduced its advertising expenditure from SR13,250 in 2002 to SR1,890 last year.
One parent said in response to a request an open forum was held at the school on April 28 and 29. The purpose was to give parents a chance to air their grievances.
He said what was supposed to be an open forum turned into a closed one with only certain carefully chosen parents called in. “The parents were called in groups of threes and fours. I began to feel as if I were waiting to see a doctor in a clinic. After an hour, I had to leave for another appointment.”
Khan responded by saying that on the previous day, heated argument had broken out between some parents and members of the management committee.
“We had to take precautionary measures to prevent such elements from disrupting the meeting a second time,” he said.
He also played down the differences that surfaced at the meeting the previous day. “There were only some minor differences,” he claimed. Two committee members, however, walked out of the meeting, citing differences of opinion on a number of issues.
