Sh2.6bn from ghost students recovered
The Minister of Education, Science, Technology and Vocational Training, Prof Joyce Ndalichako, addresses a past news conference in Dar es Salaam. PHOTO | FILE
By Saumu Mwalimu @mwalimmissie smwalimu@tz.nationmedia.com
IN SUMMARY
This comes two months after Prof Ndalichako gave 31 universities a seven-day ultimatum to return the money that was released to at least 2,192 phantom students in 2015/16.
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Dar es Salaam. At least Sh2.6 billion of the Sh3.8 billion that was issued as loans to ghost students has been recovered, Education Minister Prof Joyce Ndalichako said yesterday.
This comes two months after Prof Ndalichako gave 31 universities a seven-day ultimatum to return the money that was released to at least 2,192 phantom students in 2015/16.
The order was issued in August 17, following a joint investigation carried out earlier this year by the Higher Education Students Loan Board (HESLB) and Prevention and Combating of Corruption Bureau (PCCB).
The probe established that loans were paid to 2,192 non-existent students who had purportedly been enrolled in 31 of the 81 higher learning institutions investigated. Verification conducted in three phases could not trace the students at the universities in which they were purportedly enrolled.
“It has been established that over Sh3.8 billion was paid to ghost students, so I’m giving the institutions seven days to return the cash to the government,” Prof Ndalichako said on August 17 when unveiling the probe report.
But yesterday, she noted that the Sh2.6 billion was the money that had been remitted to universities by mid-September. Out of Sh2.6 billion, Sh2 billion was deposited by the institutions and Sh600 million would be deducted by the ministry from the budgets of higher learning public institutions.
Prof Ndalichako was not in the position to state which among the 31 universities returned the money but also was unable to say what measures would be taken against those who would fail to pay back the remaining Sh1.2 billion after the expiry of the seven-day ultimatum.
But according to the deputy permanent secretary in the ministry of Education, Prof Simon Msanjila, at least 15 universities had started repaying by the end of August.
Prof Ndalichako was speaking during a one-day workshop involving retired education experts and think tankers that the ministry organised to brainstorm the way forward in respect to various challenges facing the education sector.
“Verification of students is still in progress, because there are some learners who were not there during the initial verification due to various reasons but generally we are going on well with the exercise,” said Prof Ndalichako.
Earlier, the minister pointed out that the government is considering institutionalisation of some of the long-term plans and strategies so that they don’t get changed before their implementation.
She said that one of the critical challenges facing the sector is that good plans tend to be changed or even abandoned before their full implementation due to the lack of legal protection.
The measures seem to be a reaction from the concern by stakeholders that Tanzania’s education policies have tended to be changed every time a new minister is appointed. This, experts say, have dealt a blow to curriculum development in the country. For example different ministers of Education have been in various instances moved to ban or reintroduce certain subjects in both primary and secondary schools. At one time a minister of Education banned sports competitions in schools before they were reintroduced by another.
Prof Ndalichako herself has come under criticism for saying that science subjects will no longer be optional for secondary school students. Stakeholders have said changing this long-held tradition of giving students the right of choice to study or drop certain subjects, including Science, is yet another example of how an individual minister can initiate policy changes on the basis of his/her whim.
For her part, the Director for Schools Quality Assurance in the Ministry of Education and Vocational Training, Ms Marystella Wasena, the workshop intended to establish a formal body of retired experts that the ministry will be using for consultations.
“In here, we have retired high level experts in all fields of education such as pre-school, primary, vocational education and colleges, teaching colleges, higher learning institutions, special education, adult education and others, who will discuss on what to do to improve the sector in their specific area.
“From here, they will create a steering committee on the way forward to make this sustainable,” said Ms Wasena.
Two education experts, Prof Herme Mosha and Prof Marjorie Mbilinyi, commended the good effort made by the government in the education sector. They however, urged the government to urgently address the challenges of human resources and motivation in order to accommodate the increase number of students enrolled in various levels of education institutions.
“Improving education sector needs more than classrooms and desks…there is a need for enough teachers who are well trained teachers and motivated,” said Prof Mbilinyi.
Sh2.6bn from ghost students recovered
The Minister of Education, Science, Technology and Vocational Training, Prof Joyce Ndalichako, addresses a past news conference in Dar es Salaam. PHOTO | FILE
By Saumu Mwalimu @mwalimmissie smwalimu@tz.nationmedia.com
IN SUMMARY
This comes two months after Prof Ndalichako gave 31 universities a seven-day ultimatum to return the money that was released to at least 2,192 phantom students in 2015/16.
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Dar es Salaam. At least Sh2.6 billion of the Sh3.8 billion that was issued as loans to ghost students has been recovered, Education Minister Prof Joyce Ndalichako said yesterday.
This comes two months after Prof Ndalichako gave 31 universities a seven-day ultimatum to return the money that was released to at least 2,192 phantom students in 2015/16.
The order was issued in August 17, following a joint investigation carried out earlier this year by the Higher Education Students Loan Board (HESLB) and Prevention and Combating of Corruption Bureau (PCCB).
The probe established that loans were paid to 2,192 non-existent students who had purportedly been enrolled in 31 of the 81 higher learning institutions investigated. Verification conducted in three phases could not trace the students at the universities in which they were purportedly enrolled.
“It has been established that over Sh3.8 billion was paid to ghost students, so I’m giving the institutions seven days to return the cash to the government,” Prof Ndalichako said on August 17 when unveiling the probe report.
But yesterday, she noted that the Sh2.6 billion was the money that had been remitted to universities by mid-September. Out of Sh2.6 billion, Sh2 billion was deposited by the institutions and Sh600 million would be deducted by the ministry from the budgets of higher learning public institutions.
Prof Ndalichako was not in the position to state which among the 31 universities returned the money but also was unable to say what measures would be taken against those who would fail to pay back the remaining Sh1.2 billion after the expiry of the seven-day ultimatum.
But according to the deputy permanent secretary in the ministry of Education, Prof Simon Msanjila, at least 15 universities had started repaying by the end of August.
Prof Ndalichako was speaking during a one-day workshop involving retired education experts and think tankers that the ministry organised to brainstorm the way forward in respect to various challenges facing the education sector.
“Verification of students is still in progress, because there are some learners who were not there during the initial verification due to various reasons but generally we are going on well with the exercise,” said Prof Ndalichako.
Earlier, the minister pointed out that the government is considering institutionalisation of some of the long-term plans and strategies so that they don’t get changed before their implementation.
She said that one of the critical challenges facing the sector is that good plans tend to be changed or even abandoned before their full implementation due to the lack of legal protection.
The measures seem to be a reaction from the concern by stakeholders that Tanzania’s education policies have tended to be changed every time a new minister is appointed. This, experts say, have dealt a blow to curriculum development in the country. For example different ministers of Education have been in various instances moved to ban or reintroduce certain subjects in both primary and secondary schools. At one time a minister of Education banned sports competitions in schools before they were reintroduced by another.
Prof Ndalichako herself has come under criticism for saying that science subjects will no longer be optional for secondary school students. Stakeholders have said changing this long-held tradition of giving students the right of choice to study or drop certain subjects, including Science, is yet another example of how an individual minister can initiate policy changes on the basis of his/her whim.
For her part, the Director for Schools Quality Assurance in the Ministry of Education and Vocational Training, Ms Marystella Wasena, the workshop intended to establish a formal body of retired experts that the ministry will be using for consultations.
“In here, we have retired high level experts in all fields of education such as pre-school, primary, vocational education and colleges, teaching colleges, higher learning institutions, special education, adult education and others, who will discuss on what to do to improve the sector in their specific area.
“From here, they will create a steering committee on the way forward to make this sustainable,” said Ms Wasena.
Two education experts, Prof Herme Mosha and Prof Marjorie Mbilinyi, commended the good effort made by the government in the education sector. They however, urged the government to urgently address the challenges of human resources and motivation in order to accommodate the increase number of students enrolled in various levels of education institutions.
“Improving education sector needs more than classrooms and desks…there is a need for enough teachers who are well trained teachers and motivated,” said Prof Mbilinyi.
