If the number of complaints filed in the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) is anything to go by, education is the most corrupt sector in the country.
If the number of complaints filed in the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) is anything to go by, education is the most corrupt sector in the country, shows a recent report from the Commission.
The annual report of the national anti-graft body released on Tuesday shows that the complaints related to the Education Ministry comprises 13 percent, 2,900 of the total 22,602 cases filed in the fiscal year 2013/14. The number is the highest followed by Ministry of Federal Affairs and Local Development with 8 percent, Ministry of Land Reform and Management 6 percent and Ministry of Home with 4 percent. The report has pointed out that the maximum corruption and irregularities in the education sector lies in the school level.
Education sector receives the highest pie of national budget, over Rs 82 billion
earmarked last fiscal year, which is around 16 percent of total budget.
The report shows that hundreds of fake schools popularly known as ‘jhole bidhyalaya’ were established to embezzle millions of rupees released by the government for teacher salaries and allowances, administrative expenses, student scholarships and setting up the infrastructure. The District Education Officer, School Supervisor, Resource Person, Head teachers including Chairperson of the School Management Committee have all been found to be involved in the operation of ghost schools. According to the report, 305 fake schools were shut down last fiscal year while around 90 such are in the process of either being shutdown or being merged current fiscal year.
Based on the CIAA finding, the Ministry of Education (MoE) has recovered over
Rs 13.90 million from seven DEOs in Tarai. “Our action will save millions of rupees from the state coffers that was being wasted in such schools,” read the report. The CIAA in the last fiscal year filed cases against around two dozen former and incumbent District Education Officers and around 100 other staffs including teachers and chairpersons of the School Management Committee.
The 24th annual report also highlights the tendencies of submission of fake academic certificates to get jobs in academic professions, mainly as teachers. A total of 1,190 cases of fake academic certificates were filed at the CIAA in the last fiscal year and investigation in majority of the cases has been completed. Following the investigation, around 1,000 teachers have resigned within last three months, report from various districts show.
“It has been found that the universities, Higher Secondary Education Board and the Council for the Technical Education and Vocational Training have been granting affiliation or accreditation without proper supervision,” the report states. It has pointed out that colleges without adequate infrastructure or competent faculty were granted affiliation in an ad hoc manner.
Devi Prasad Barakoti, the then chief of Department of Accreditation in Higher Secondary Education Board, was arrested red handed taking bribe for granting affiliation last year. The Board on August 22 last year granted affiliation to 53 schools which included those that were not in operation from a long time.
Binod Ghimire covers parliamentary affairs and human rights for The Kathmandu Post. Since joining the Post in 2010, he has reported primarily on social issues, focusing on education and transitional justice.
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