By William Madouk
The ministry of General Education and Instruction revealed that after getting capitation grant of SSP one billion, non-existing schools emerged posing in frantic move to have portion in just released grants.
The capitation grant is meant for public schools in fulfilment of the government policy of free primary and secondary education as decreed by the President.
Ministry of Finance allocated one billion South Sudanese pounds as the first share to the Ministry of General Education in February this year to reinforce free primary and secondary education across the Country.
Speaking to journalists, the deputy minister of Education, Martin Tako Moyi said after the announcement of capitation grants a lots of ghost schools appeared in desperate moves to get some share of the government fund.
“After we announce this year, we were surprise that schools have more [class]rooms, schools have increased- some of the counties have 150 schools and others are even more than that, these schools are non-existing,” Moyi said.
“Some of those schools have so many pupils studying and these schools all are non-existing schools and students studying in those believed to be ghost schools, it’s very unfortunate,” he added.
Mr. Moyi, however, cited that they will not transfer the grant to school’s accounts till they are sure it’s not shadow learning institutions.
“We are therefore declaring that we will not transfer capitation grant in the schools unless we proof that that school existed and there are children learning in that school,” he noted.
The funds are to be paid directly to schools’ bank accounts while schools must submit accountability report to education authorities, according to Minister Awut Deng Acuil.
He added that schools which are legally functioning will have no issues “As we know that that are schools that are really functioning and this have no problem if they have their bank account the money will be remitted.”
Moyi who is also acting minister of general education stressed that team including inspectors, directors and directors general will be dispatched to inspect schools and verify whether those learning centers are existing learning institutions or not.
“We are here declaring to the public that anybody creating non-existing schools and registering excessive students, we will not pay money to those schools,” he warned.
Mr. Moyi stated that they have statistics of schools across the country but now they have requested state authorities to bring figure of schools they have for comparison and to identify ghost learning hubs.
“This is not the end, we want to go and visit the schools physically to determine the number of schools, number of the children in that payam or village before we pay them the money,” he said “We are not certain yet of the number of ghost schools but they are there.”