THE Education Ministry has received complaints of schools that owe money to companies, says Education Ministry director finance Sukhendra Lal.
Mr Lal reminded teachers at the Fiji Principals Association Conference in Suva yesterday to ensure that they paid their dues on time.
Mr Lal said they had seen a number of shops where school cheques were advertised with a dishonoured cheque stamp.
“This is particularly common in the North. We have seen it in some of the supermarkets, but it is an issue all throughout the country,” Mr Lal said.
“Under the Crimes Decree, if you issue a cheque knowingly that there is no funds in your account, it is a criminal offence so a supplier could sue you for that.
“So please be very careful about it.”
Mr Lal reminded principals to review their monthly expenditures and to ensure they had in place mechanisms to have a firsthand review of expenditure of the school.
