Sunday News
8 January 2012
The Minster of Education, Sport, Arts and Culture has said his ministry will make full use of a new law to flush out all corrupt elements in the administration and use of funds meant for education, in an effort to bring normalcy to the sector.
In an interview with the Sunday News on Friday last week, Senator David Coltart said his ministry was not tolerating any corrupt tendencies.
“We need to adopt zero tolerance of abuse of school funds and anyone caught on the wrong side will face the full wrath of the law,†said Senator Coltart.
The Ministry of Education has implemented the Public Finance Management Act (PMFA), which replaces the old Audit and Exchequer Act so as to make school heads and anyone who handles these funds accountable for the finances.
“The PFMA will assist the education sector by bringing about more accountability. It ensures that ministers have more responsibility in ensuring that a ministry’s finances are correctly spent,†said Senator Coltart.
The main effect of the PFMA is that the minister has to be consulted before monies are spent. In the past civil servants had a virtual free hand in deciding how budgeted monies would be spent within the broad parameters of the National Budget.
The minister said school heads were not the only culprits in the abuse of funds as there were corrupt individuals in the highest levels of Government.
“Aside from the fact that this is taxpayers’ money which is being abused we cannot allow our future generations to be taught by those who are themselves corrupt, what sort of example does that set for the future?†he said.
The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education, Dr Stephen Mahere, said the Act is meant to provide for the control of public resources.
“The Act is intended to provide for the control, management, protection and recovery of public resources. The Act also provides for the regulation o f control of public accounts and for matters pertaining to the financial misconduct by public officials,†said Dr Mahere.
He said it is in the interest of public officials, school heads and finance managers included, to acquaint themselves with the provisions of the Act.
He also warned those that got away with money and other resources without being noticed in previous years that this was a different year where the ministry will take full account of all resources.
In 2011 alone there were several cases of funds being embezzled by school heads and other officials in the Ministry of Education, compromising education standards.
Incompetent school authorities and school development associations have stalled development in many Government schools.
The minister said the biggest project foe 2012 would be the delivery of 8 million textbooks to all secondary schools countrywide.
“We want to deliver 8 million textbooks to all secondary schools in Zimbabwe and we will also start the rehabilitation of sanitary facilities in schools. I hope that the new education regulations will counter the lawlessness which prevails in many schools,†he said.
He said the curriculum review process will get underway and hopes there will be a transformation of certain schools into academies.