Who is behind the ghost teachers?
Dec 05, 2007
OVER 5,000 ghost teachers are on the primary school payroll. As a result, the Government loses sh11b annually, which ends up in individual pockets. So who is responsible for ‘ghost teachers’?
By Fortunate Ahimbisibwe
OVER 5,000 ghost teachers are on the primary school payroll. As a result, the Government loses sh11b annually, which ends up in individual pockets. So who is responsible for ‘ghost teachers’?
According to an efficiency study done for the Ministry of Education and Sports, ghost teachers have remained on the government payroll since 1993.
A separate study by the Ministry of Public Service undertaken by PriceWaterhouseCoopers in 2005, estimated that between 9.2% and 12% of teachers were irregularly on the payroll. A 2006 USAID report says between 9.2 and 20% teachers in different districts are ‘ghosts.’
None of the CAOs wants to speak about ghosts
The procedure for primary teachers’ payment starts from the district and ends at the same place, which raises suspicion that this money is lost at the district level.
According to the under-secretary Ministry of Education, Methodius Mwongere, the lists of teachers are compiled at the district.
The same people are responsible for updating the payroll for their districts.
The list is then sent to the public service ministry, which makes a payroll and forwards it to the finance ministry for disbursement of funds to the respective districts.
“The chief administration officers (CAOs) and senior personnel officers are responsible for the salaries of teachers at district level. The CAOs determine which teacher is on the payroll or is not there.
The education ministry is responsible for planning for the number of teachers as compiled by Public Service,†Mwongyere says.
Statistics from the education ministry show that 128,371 teachers are on the payroll. But the most recent study carried out this year states that 4% (about 5,134) of the teachers are non-existent, yet they continue to be paid.
The ministry receives sh720b as the sector budget. Out of this, the primary school teachers wage bill is sh342b, of which 4% goes to ‘ghosts’ according to the report.
This means sh11b is paid to the ‘ghosts.’
A study on the efficiency of public education was carried out this year by Donald Winkler, a World Bank consultant and Lars Sondergaard, an education policy consultant.
The report notes: “Ghost teachers are those who appear inappropriately -for whatever reason - on the payroll.
Weak payroll information systems and fraud are two possible reasons for the appearance of ghosts, who are normally identified during “payroll clean-up exercises†in which every teacher on the payroll is verified.â€
Although the number has reduced to 4% from 20% in 1993, the education funding agencies say the 4% is “bad enough.†“Government cannot continue paying money to teachers who are not in the classroom. Ghost teachers must be eliminated from the payroll.
There is need for value for money,†a World Bank official said at the education sector review conference recently.
During the review, education ministry officials blamed local government authorities for maintaining ‘ghosts’ on the payroll.
They said people in charge of personnel at the district level are supposed to submit verified lists of teachers from every school.
But in most cases, senior personnel officers at the district do not delete the names of those who are no longer in service and keep receiving the money, a source says.
For example in June, a senior personnel officer, Margaret Ssekito, was reprimanded for maintaining ghost teachers in Mukono district. She has since been interdicted. A public accounts committee report notes that Ssekito was receiving the money. Several related cases are the major reason why the Government continues to pay millions to ghost teachers, according to the report.
The senior assistant secretary in charge of finance at the public service ministry, Benon Kigenyi, was not willing to discuss the matter of ghost teachers.
But in a circular standing order of 2001, the teachers’ payroll was decentralised but the responsibility of monitoring was left to the public service ministry.
“Public Service will continue to provide policy, technical support and guidance on payroll management. Any district experiencing problems should contact the Ministry of Public Service,†Jimmy Rwamafa wrote in the circular.
Rwamafa notes that the management of teachers’ payroll is the responsibility of the personnel section under the CAO’s office. The same people are in charge of all payroll change report forms.
The education Permanent Secretary, Francis Lubanga, says: “The ministry cannot verify the lists submitted by the personnel at the districts. We rely on the information collected from the districts.â€
A source says some officials in public service connive with personnel at the districts to maintain ‘ghosts’ on the payroll.
“Ghost teachers do not exist because of one person. There are officials from the ministries of finance and public service who have deliberately maintained them on the payroll. At times, the money does not even reach the district,†the source says.
The deputy Secretary to the Treasury, Keith Muhakanizi, says: “We receive lists from the ministries of public service and local government and payments are done according to these lists.
If there are any ghosts as alleged, we shall ask public service and education to clean up. In fact, it is a policy now to punish anybody who maintains ghosts on the payroll.â€
Attempts to speak to CAOs were futile.
None of them is willing to comment about the issue of ghost teachers, calling it a sensitive matter. “The salaries for teachers are sent from the Ministry of Finance to the district.
Our job is to forward the names of the existing teachers and we have no capacity to find out if the payroll is updated by public service,†a CAO in one of the districts in the central region says.
The commissioner for planning in the education ministry, Arnold Dhatemwa, says: “The recruitment of primary school teachers is handled by the District Service Commission. When we receive these figures, we plan for the distribution accordingly.â€
A source at the Ministry of Public Service believes that CAOs are responsible for the ‘ghosts’, since they prepare the lists of teachers in their districts and are also in charge of teachers’ salaries.
But one CAO believes there are officials in public service who receive updated lists but do not follow them but still process the payment.
In Uganda, a 20 percent reduction in teacher absenteeism alone would be the equivalent to hiring 5,000 more teachers at a cost of sh12b.
NOTICE TaO HEADTEACHERS
Secondary schools that received New Vision questionnaires through Straight Talk Foundation are requested to post them as soon as possible. The postage is prepaid and inclusion in the New Vision secondary schools directory is absolutely free
OVER 5,000 ghost teachers are on the primary school payroll. As a result, the Government loses sh11b annually, which ends up in individual pockets. So who is responsible for ‘ghost teachers’?
According to an efficiency study done for the Ministry of Education and Sports, ghost teachers have remained on the government payroll since 1993.
A separate study by the Ministry of Public Service undertaken by PriceWaterhouseCoopers in 2005, estimated that between 9.2% and 12% of teachers were irregularly on the payroll. A 2006 USAID report says between 9.2 and 20% teachers in different districts are ‘ghosts.’
None of the CAOs wants to speak about ghosts
The procedure for primary teachers’ payment starts from the district and ends at the same place, which raises suspicion that this money is lost at the district level.
According to the under-secretary Ministry of Education, Methodius Mwongere, the lists of teachers are compiled at the district.
The same people are responsible for updating the payroll for their districts.
The list is then sent to the public service ministry, which makes a payroll and forwards it to the finance ministry for disbursement of funds to the respective districts.
“The chief administration officers (CAOs) and senior personnel officers are responsible for the salaries of teachers at district level. The CAOs determine which teacher is on the payroll or is not there.
The education ministry is responsible for planning for the number of teachers as compiled by Public Service,†Mwongyere says.
Statistics from the education ministry show that 128,371 teachers are on the payroll. But the most recent study carried out this year states that 4% (about 5,134) of the teachers are non-existent, yet they continue to be paid.
The ministry receives sh720b as the sector budget. Out of this, the primary school teachers wage bill is sh342b, of which 4% goes to ‘ghosts’ according to the report.
This means sh11b is paid to the ‘ghosts.’
A study on the efficiency of public education was carried out this year by Donald Winkler, a World Bank consultant and Lars Sondergaard, an education policy consultant.
The report notes: “Ghost teachers are those who appear inappropriately -for whatever reason - on the payroll.
Weak payroll information systems and fraud are two possible reasons for the appearance of ghosts, who are normally identified during “payroll clean-up exercises†in which every teacher on the payroll is verified.â€
Although the number has reduced to 4% from 20% in 1993, the education funding agencies say the 4% is “bad enough.†“Government cannot continue paying money to teachers who are not in the classroom. Ghost teachers must be eliminated from the payroll.
There is need for value for money,†a World Bank official said at the education sector review conference recently.
During the review, education ministry officials blamed local government authorities for maintaining ‘ghosts’ on the payroll.
They said people in charge of personnel at the district level are supposed to submit verified lists of teachers from every school.
But in most cases, senior personnel officers at the district do not delete the names of those who are no longer in service and keep receiving the money, a source says.
For example in June, a senior personnel officer, Margaret Ssekito, was reprimanded for maintaining ghost teachers in Mukono district. She has since been interdicted. A public accounts committee report notes that Ssekito was receiving the money. Several related cases are the major reason why the Government continues to pay millions to ghost teachers, according to the report.
The senior assistant secretary in charge of finance at the public service ministry, Benon Kigenyi, was not willing to discuss the matter of ghost teachers.
But in a circular standing order of 2001, the teachers’ payroll was decentralised but the responsibility of monitoring was left to the public service ministry.
“Public Service will continue to provide policy, technical support and guidance on payroll management. Any district experiencing problems should contact the Ministry of Public Service,†Jimmy Rwamafa wrote in the circular.
Rwamafa notes that the management of teachers’ payroll is the responsibility of the personnel section under the CAO’s office. The same people are in charge of all payroll change report forms.
The education Permanent Secretary, Francis Lubanga, says: “The ministry cannot verify the lists submitted by the personnel at the districts. We rely on the information collected from the districts.â€
A source says some officials in public service connive with personnel at the districts to maintain ‘ghosts’ on the payroll.
“Ghost teachers do not exist because of one person. There are officials from the ministries of finance and public service who have deliberately maintained them on the payroll. At times, the money does not even reach the district,†the source says.
The deputy Secretary to the Treasury, Keith Muhakanizi, says: “We receive lists from the ministries of public service and local government and payments are done according to these lists.
If there are any ghosts as alleged, we shall ask public service and education to clean up. In fact, it is a policy now to punish anybody who maintains ghosts on the payroll.â€
Attempts to speak to CAOs were futile.
None of them is willing to comment about the issue of ghost teachers, calling it a sensitive matter. “The salaries for teachers are sent from the Ministry of Finance to the district.
Our job is to forward the names of the existing teachers and we have no capacity to find out if the payroll is updated by public service,†a CAO in one of the districts in the central region says.
The commissioner for planning in the education ministry, Arnold Dhatemwa, says: “The recruitment of primary school teachers is handled by the District Service Commission. When we receive these figures, we plan for the distribution accordingly.â€
A source at the Ministry of Public Service believes that CAOs are responsible for the ‘ghosts’, since they prepare the lists of teachers in their districts and are also in charge of teachers’ salaries.
But one CAO believes there are officials in public service who receive updated lists but do not follow them but still process the payment.
In Uganda, a 20 percent reduction in teacher absenteeism alone would be the equivalent to hiring 5,000 more teachers at a cost of sh12b.
NOTICE TaO HEADTEACHERS
Secondary schools that received New Vision questionnaires through Straight Talk Foundation are requested to post them as soon as possible. The postage is prepaid and inclusion in the New Vision secondary schools directory is absolutely free