MoE closes down Student Placement Division

BAME PIET
Staff Writer | Thursday February 18, 2010 00:00

 

Minister Pelonomi Venson-Moitoi told Parliament yesterday that the DCEC commenced investigations last year and has found incidences of fraud, major weaknesses in systems as well as unprofessional practices. 'These findings reveal very serious system weaknesses and flaws which in turn create an opportunistic environment for manipulation and fraud. These therefore necessitate further investigations to ascertain whether or not malpractice and fraud has occurred,' she told Parliament.

She stated that government had put in place interim measures to counter these activities but it was all in vain due to some officers who seem so determined to enrich themselves through the fraudulent route.

Meanwhile the minister told Mmegi in an interview that the government has made an interim arrangement to provide service to customers. She said that the ministry does not want service delivery to the public to be interrupted. On what the future holds for the Form Five leavers, who are still in the excitement stupor of good results, she said they would not be affected, but if part of the DCEC investigation states that the admission of new students be upheld, the ministry would do so. She emphasised that the DCEC discovered untidy practices. She could not disclose how many millions of Pula are involved in the scam.

Venson-Moitoi also stated that allowances for students who are already under government sponsorship would not be affected. 'Our intention is that none of the public service functions should be affected, but if the investigations show that we must stop we will do so,' she said. She stated that at the moment all the interdicted officers are presumed innocent but the long arm of the law will reach those found to be implicated in fraudulent activities.

Did Nkate mislead the House last year?

Curious Members of Parliament had earlier asked the minister why her predecessor Jacob Nkate, now Chief Executive Officer for Botswana Export Development and Investment Authority (BEDIA) told the House last year that the investigations had cleared all officers of wrongdoing. She said that then, the minister believed that all officers were cleared because the investigations implicated few officers.