Search Page

Education authorities in N'Zérékoré are organizing a meeting to follow up on suspicions of embezzlement linked to the purchase of desks for Parents' Associations. The National Agency for the Fight against Corruption and Good Governance has announced the creation of a toll-free number to report cases of corruption. School officials and parent-teacher associations were sensitized to the notion of corruption and inappropriate practices. The prefect urged them to avoid manipulating associations to collect money from parents, stressing that those involved would have to answer to the law.

Under the Organic Law on Intercultural Education (LOEI) and government directives on measures for prevention, containment, the emotional and economic stability of the educational community, the Ministry of Education prohibits any type of financial contribution by parents for the renovation of classroom façades or any other end-of-school-year expenditure. The Ministry guarantees the right to free education, monitors irregularities, and punishes any cases of misconduct.

Politicians, senior education officials, headmasters, and businesspeople are taking advantage of their positions to line their pockets with state funds. According to a study, the acts of corruption in Thailand range from the embezzling of state funds, colluding to mark up prices of educational and school construction materials, as well as demanding bribes from parents who want their children to be enrolled in a particular school. Irresponsible officials and school directors steal about 30% of the total budget.

Since 2009, education and health have suffered cuts and multiple corruption scandals. Over the past decade, spending on education and culture has dropped from 32.9% of the central government budget to 19.9%. Students have no library, no computer classes, and requests for funding to replace asbestos seeping from a primary school’s roof in San Pedro Sula were declined by central and local authorities. ‘The teachers and parents raised $1,500 through fundraising events and collection tins at traffic lights to pay for repairs’ said a primary school teacher.

Anti-corruption advocacy group, Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has sued Delta State governor over poor funding of primary education in his state. His administration has received N7.8bn from Universal Basic Education Commission, apart from other funds from the Federal Government. Around 1,124 primary schools across the state are in a shambles, with very poor teaching facilities. Moreover, SERAP pointed out the case of a student who was sent home because her parents could not afford the illegal school fee of N900.

Many instances were witnessed across the country, where parents arrived at schools to return free uniform material vouchers which were invalid. There were also instances where parents complained of the insufficient value attached to these vouchers, and where parents were unable to purchase quality material for a specified price. Against this backdrop, several teachers and principals’ associations staged a joint media briefing in Colombo, highlighting the fact that teachers, students and parents, have been inconvenienced by the new voucher system.