The Gujarat education department has withheld the 2026-27 girls’ fee option grant for 36 aided schools in Ahmedabad because audit recoveries remain pending, while releasing ₹1.20 crore to 62 schools that cleared the eligibility checks.
The grant is part of a government scheme intended to provide free education to girls studying in Classes 9 to 12. The allocation order for aided schools in the Ahmedabad city area was issued under the Commissioner of Schools’ office, with the department citing outstanding departmental audit recoveries and strict compliance with rules as the basis for withholding payments.
A total of ₹2.36 crore has been allocated for the scheme in Ahmedabad for the 2026-27 financial year. Following departmental audit and verification of compliance, 62 eligible schools were paid a combined ₹1.20 crore through cheques or electronic payment, according to the report based on records from the district education officer’s office.
The district education records identified 100 fee-option schools across the eastern and western areas of Ahmedabad. Of these, a list of 98 schools was prepared as eligible for the grant. The latest order therefore separates schools that have received payment from those whose grants remain blocked because of unresolved audit recovery matters.
Schools whose grants have been withheld will have to complete the audit process and provide clarifications before their eligibility for future grant payments can be considered. The order states that all expenditure under the approved payments will be charged to the budget sanctioned for 2026-27.
The 36 schools facing withholding are spread across several parts of the city. The areas named in the report include Bapunagar, Paldi, Shahibaug, Asarwa, Cantonment, Maninagar, Isanpur, Vatva, Naranpura, Usmanpura, Vadaj, Relief Road, Sarangpur, Gomtipur, Kalupur and Kubernagar.
The decision places the operation of the girls’ fee support scheme alongside the department’s audit and financial-control requirements. For the schools affected, the immediate administrative task is to address the outstanding recoveries and complete the required clarification process. The education authorities’ next step will determine when, or whether, the withheld grants can be released in a subsequent cycle.
