In the media

The civil organization called for the six aspiring governors of Mexico State to commit to actions such as debugging the education payroll and providing resources to schools in marginalized areas. "Mexicans have a right to know which candidates for state governor are in favor of educational reform and which are in favor of the comfortable status quo, as well as which candidates for governor are committed to the rule of law and which will continue to allow a series of abuses and omissions of the law," said the organization.

Over 2,000 primary school teachers from about 27 local government areas of Oyo State protested on what they described as monumental frauds being perpetrated by some officials of the state in connivance with some State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) officials. In Ibadan North Local Government alone, about 109 teachers claimed that the fraudulent state officials fleeced them over N54m from illegal deductions made from their salaries.

High-ranking government officials attended an ostentatious ceremony held by the president on Tuesday where he ordered that 954 teachers found to have been teaching at 1081 schools across the country be given permanent positions at the Ministry effective from that day. Early October 1626 positions out of 6448 were found to be ghost 'employees' by the Somaliland Civil Service Commission (SCSC ). Out of that number, 954 were found on Ministry of Education payrolls, a number that did not physically exist but whose salaries were being drawn fraudulently. Neither the government nor the SCSC charged anybody on the grand theft of public resources.

Ghost teachers and ghost schools are a burden on the education system in rural areas of Balochistan and the government needs to take concrete steps to repair the damage that is caused to its children and their future. Most public schools lack basic facilities like boundary walls, chairs, toilets, clean drinking water, electricity, and even teachers, not to mention the absence of study material like course-books and other infrastructural needs. Authorities continue to pay teachers despite their wilful absence and a great number of them are hired based on political affiliation rather than their qualification and educational achievements.

In order to fight corruption and discourage private schools to operate a cartel, the Supreme Court in Pakistan has not allowed an increase in school fees of more than 5% per year. Many directors of private schools took money from parents for security deposits and admission fees and earned profits on that money. An Auditor General report highlighted how in public schools some teachers received very good salaries, but they were not doing justice to what they receive while teachers in private schools earned far less amount but they perform better.

The Madras High Court had asked district educational officers to keep a separate record of the asset details of the teachers working in the state’s public school. All teachers could buy new properties and vehicles only after permission from the government. In addition, in order to ensure the teachers are on time, a biometric attendance system was introduced for all teaching and non-teaching staff.

Education Department officials in northern Balkh province announced that ghost teachers and other employees appointed based on fraud and forgery would no longer receive pay and other privileges. 14 925 teachers and workers have been covered since the introduction of the biometric system, and from now on salaries will be paid upon completing legal procedures.

A science teacher is accused of working in 25 Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya simultaneously for 13 months and taking home approximately Rs 1 crore as salary. The police arrested one of the multiple persons impersonating the science teacher, using her academic records. The minister of education ordered a probe into the records of all 746 residential schools for girls. A First Information Report on the charges of dishonesty, cheating by impersonation, forgery of valuable security, forgery for purpose of cheating, using a forged document, was lodged against her.

After verifying 4,473 employees in the state's three senatorial regions, the Benue State Education Service Board removed 18 dead teachers among the 433 ghost workers found on the state government payroll Moreover, 70 retirees and 193 redeployed employees were uncovered among other irregularities on the payroll such as the lack of utility vehicles and overhead costs. The state Governor charged TBS to ensure the ghost names are deleted from the payment voucher.

A social activist alleged that large-scale corruption was being carried out in the District Education Office and nine girls’ schools in Bazgarha, Kamarkhel are locked. Dozens of female teachers of these closed schools are still receiving salaries at home, but paying a considerable portion of their salaries as a bribe to specific frontmen of the District Education Office. According to local sources, this practice of mismanagement is continuing since 2015.