Deaf students betrayed
Gothataone Moeng | Tuesday May 6, 2014 15:58
Tensions at the Ramotswa Centre for Deaf Education boiled over yesterday when support staffers downed tools in protest against the non-payment of April salaries, even as the Education Ministry demands answers about alleged gross maladministration at the institute.
At least 35 support staff, including kitchen, cleaning, grounds and administration staff, began a peaceful sit-in at the school citing non-payment as well as a lack of consultation from their superiors.
The workers allege that while staff at the Francistown and Ramotswa Centres for Deaf Education had not been paid, staff at the BSD’s Gaborone head office had received their salaries.
The Ministry of Education and Skills Development funds operational expenses, including salaries and bills of the centre run by the Botswana Society for the Deaf (BSD). The school head and primary school teachers are paid from government funds, while the society caters for support staff.
When the Mmegi team visited the Ramotswa centre yesterday, school head Baleti Tlhalerwa had taken over duties at the kitchen.
Students were also helping out in the kitchen, cleaning pots and plates and also handing out meals to their peers.
Although they are usually paid on the 25th of every month, employees at the Centre told Mmegi that their salaries had still not been paid, nor had there been adequate explanations for the non-payment.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, employees said they were, on April 2, 2014, given letters alerting them to the possibility of a late payment while the BSD waits for funds from the government.
The letter, seen by Mmegi, states that the subvention from government, which was meant to cover operational expenses for both the Ramotswa and Francistown centres in the financial year which ended in March 2014, had been depleted, and the BSD was thus awaiting funds for the new financial year. According to the employees, they wrote an urgent letter to the BSD executive director, Orapeleng Mokgosi, seeking an audience for further explanation.
“While still awaiting a response from Mokgosi, two days before payday, we received another letter signed by the Executive Director, confirming that there would be no payment until further notice, while the Society awaits a grant from the government,” one worker said.
Mokgosi confirmed to Mmegi that her office had received a letter from the disgruntled employees and that she had not had an opportunity to address them.
She confirmed as well that the Gaborone staff had been paid, and said this was because there were only 10 employees at the head office, while Ramotswa has 45 and the Francistown school 39.
“BSD had only enough funds to pay the Gaborone staff,” she said, adding that, “My office is still in talks with the MoESD to release funds so that employees can be paid.”
However, Mmegi investigations have revealed that the MoESD may withhold funds to the two centres while awaiting the BSD’s response to allegations of maladministration.
A letter signed by Leonard Muthetho, on behalf of the Permanent Secretary, to Mokgosi, speaks of, “gross maladministration” uncovered at the two centres during an audit exercise conducted by the Department of Special Support Services and the Ministry of Health’s Department of Health Policy Development, Monitoring and Evaluation.
The letter says, among other things, the audit revealed, falsification of records; utilisation of funds for items not initially meant for; and lack of cooperation by the institutions management to provide documentation or information for audit.
The letter, dated April 7, 2014, demands answers from the BSD within three weeks, which elapsed on April 28, 2014.
“Please note that your response will assist the Ministry to make informed decisions including approval and allocation of funds to the two institutions, i.e Francistown Centre for the Deaf Education and Ramotswa Centre for the Deaf Education,” the letter states.
However, yesterday, Mokgosi said that she was unaware of the letter or the internal audit. The Ramotswa centre teaches close to 100 deaf students within primary school as well as 16 students in the nursery wing.