Secondary school’s management support officer admits pocketing over $14k from school

SINGAPORE – Saddled with credit card debts, a management support officer at a secondary school went on to misappropriate more than $14,000 in total from it between 2017 and 2023.

Mary Lim Siew Lian, 49, who was working at Catholic High School at the time of the offences, then used the ill-gotten gains to settle her personal expenses.

On Nov 17, Lim, who has made full restitution, pleaded guilty to two counts of criminal breach of trust involving more than $9,000.

Three other similar charges relating to the remaining amount will be considered during her sentencing.

Responding to queries from The Straits Times, the Ministry of Education (MOE) said she has been suspended from duty since September 2024 and is no longer working in any school.

An MOE spokesperson said: “(We take) a serious view of staff misconduct and will not hesitate to take disciplinary action against those who fail to adhere to our standards of conduct and discipline, including dismissal from service.”

Deputy Public Prosecutor Darren Ang told the court that as a management support officer, Lim was entrusted with funds from the school management committee (SMC), collected through fund-raising events and merchandise sales.

Part of her responsibilities included collecting payments made to the SMC, depositing the money into a bank account linked to it, and keeping a record of the deposited amounts.

At the time of the offences, she was the sole officer entrusted by the school to collect payments for its annual yearbook publications.

Such payments were collected in cash from the students of each class by their form teachers.

The money was then handed over Lim, who had to record the amounts received and deposit the funds into the SMC’s bank account.

In 2017, she found herself saddled with debt after obtaining about seven to eight credit cards from different banks. She had used the cards to buy clothes and luxury bags online.

DPP Ang said: “She had also pawned her personal valuables, and was servicing the interest to redeem the pawned items.

“Despite knowing that she was required to do so, the accused did not declare her financial embarrassment to the school, as she was afraid of losing her job.”

Court documents stated that in 2017, Lim collected more than $11,000 in payments from 29 classes for the 2016 yearbook.

However, she deposited only $5,250 of the amount into the SMC’s bank account and pocketed the remainder.

She went on to commit similar offences every year until 2020.

DPP Ang said that between 2017 and 2020, she misappropriated more than $13,700 in total and had initially intended to return the money. However, she did not do so, the court heard.

On May 22, 2023, Lim misappropriated another $660 in cash from the sales of certain undisclosed merchandise.

She later found out that the school was conducting checks on its payment records.

On Aug 19, 2024, she approached her supervisor and the school’s vice-principal, and came clean about what she had done.

The police were alerted the next day, and officers arrested Lim on Aug 22 that year.

On Nov 14, the DPP urged the court to sentence her to up to six months’ jail, adding: “The accused misappropriated payments made by secondary school students, and this would inevitably damage public confidence in the teaching service.

“The accused’s offending conduct was purposeful and highly premeditated.”

Lim will be sentenced on Jan 13, 2026.