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Zimbabwe’s Higher Education, Science and Technology Minister is facing a probe over the alleged abuse of approximately US$450,000 meant for students in a development that has seen students calling for him to pay back the money and resign. According to a charge sheet prepared by the anti-graft commission, the minister is alleged to have used part of the money to fund cronies in his constituency as part of a bid to regain his seat in the 2018 general elections. His deputy, is alleged to have formed a company that benefitted from the student funds as universities were directed to buy equipment from his firm.

Most schools in the country cannot account for books bought since introduction of free education in 2003, a confidential report by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) has revealed. The report has poked holes in the storage of textbooks in public schools noting that it is hard to establish the number of books purchased by most schools. It notes that despite the government releasing funds to schools to construct book storage facilities, most schools have not done so. According to the report, some schools bought one wooden cupboard which is maintained in the offices of head teachers or their deputies.

Protests in cities across Nigeria and widespread condemnation followed this year’s Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, the national university entrance test sat by 1.5 million would-be students. Computers froze, multiple results were issued and tens of thousands of candidates were relocated to different exam centres without being told. The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board or JAMB has been accused of being incapable of handling the electronic entrance exam. Parliament and civil society groups have called on the government to initiate reforms to rescue the board from alleged lethargy and inefficiency.

Non-governmental organizations (NGO) have stated there are corruption schemes in the Ministry of Education and Science related to budget funds allocated for the needs of schools. According to the leader of NGO Maidan Information the Ministry of Education issued an order, according to which only one firm can supply school equipment. He noted that most equipment in schools have not been updated since the Soviet times, therefore it is unclear what happens with the UAH 200 million in state funds set aside for this purpose.

The identification of all the properties originally meant for the education sector in Blida which had been diverted from their original purpose has, over the past few years, allowed for important assets to be recover for the sector and those that work within it, indicated the head of education of the Wilaya on Monday. The operation, which has been going on for two years throughout the Wilaya, has enabled the recovery of a number of land assets and their exploitation for the good of the education sector.