A department marred by sleaze

Staff Writer | Thursday February 18, 2010 00:00

An inquiry into allegations of irregularities at the Department of Student Placement and Welfare in 2004 unearthed a number of corrupt practices and maladministration.

The investigation, chaired by Peter Siele, found that the department did not adhere to established selection procedures in determining who qualified for external sponsorships. A student was selected for placement outside the country even though she did not qualify. 

Another student got sponsorship to study in the United States though she had poor grades. When the department wanted to withdraw the sponsorship, the vice president's office overruled it.  MoE overruled efforts by the department to correct some of its wrong decisions while the department gave sponsorships to people who did not apply. Applications for sponsorships were misplaced at the department.

The inquiry found that government lost money through contractual agreements signed by the department for students' accommodation in South Africa.

The problem emanated from the fact that the department did not seek advice from the Attorney General's Chambers. Another issue unearthed by the inquiry is that Ingwe Medical Health Scheme that covers Botswana students in South Africa did not stipulate the nature of the benefits.

In 2007 the then director of the department Mosoma Kgotla revealed that police had arrested six students from the Francistown Institute of Health Sciences for uttering false academic certificates. Kgotla stated that the process of vetting certificates was slow because it has to be done thoroughly if it is to achieve the goal of weeding out the fraudsters. He said the problem of forged certificates is not new but was only made public by students who took the department to court after their sponsorship to study at a Malaysian university was terminated.

 The ministry confirmed having ghost students who were paid allowances although they were not studying at any institution. In 2008, Kgotla was suspended on half salary with two of his deputies, Bontle Menyatso and Cosmetic Molebatsi.