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As a result of the COVID-19 outbreak, a project to use ZAR866 million (US$60 million) to build a state-of-the-art technical and vocational education and training college in one of South Africa’s poorest townships could not proceed. The project was stopped by the Minister of Higher Education, but the money has not been returned to the National Treasury or accounted for in accordance with the Public Finance Management Act regulations.

A recent report from Public Accounts Committee reveals the theft of billions of taxpayers' money pocketed by corrupt officials and school heads. The Mundeku Secondary School is one of the 4 ghost schools in the Ministry records with 1,188 students used by an official to steal Sh27,329,598.95 from public funds. The report found another officer inflating enrolment data for 185 schools, resulting in the overpayment of Sh269, 254,288. The cases have been submitted to the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission for investigation.

Two former accountants at the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Technology received 7.5 years in prison after they were found guilty of embezzling Ksh2.5 million. They faced ten counts for fraudulent acquisition of public property, abuse of office, conspiracy to defraud and stealing by a person employed by the public service. Another Education official was sentenced to 2.5 years after stealing Ksh1.5 million of public funds.

A recent report highlights risks of investment of funds into the UK education sector by African elites, including “politically exposed persons”, some of whom have been convicted of corruption or whose assets have been seized by the UK. According to the report, the gap between what west African PEPs pay for a UK education and what they can legitimately afford is a significant red flag. Relatively lax anti-money laundering rules in the British education sector mean that school administrators and admissions staff are potentially complicit in illegal flows of money.

The Financial Prosecutor's Office has launched an investigation at the Ministry of Education regarding the education provided to Syrian refugee students funded by the United Nations, the World Bank, the European Union, and Germany. The list of children enrolled for evening classes in the 346 State schools includes a far greater number of students than those who actually attend them. The amount missing is calculated by multiplying the number of 15,000 ghost students to the $600 that donors allocate each year for every registered student. $9 million disappears each year since 2014.

Roslyn New York school principal and her assistant were involved in a case of embezzlement that misappropriated some $11 million from students. At the New Orleans Public School, 30 convictions were recorded, including a former school board president who took more than $140,000 in bribes. According to reports from the Inspector General of the Department of Education, the office receives more corruption reports than it can investigate.