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A latest audit of financial and management operations of the Teaching and Service Commission (TSC) reveals that K5 million, which is almost half of their annual budget, was misappropriated due to weaknesses in financial control but the body’s bosses say the concerned officers have promised to reimburse the money.
The audit in our possession says TSC has been providing hotel accommodation to members of staff who are not entitled to such a privilege, abuse of fuel coupons, purchase of stores items at inflated charges, stationery bought from unauthorised dealers, unsigned for allowances and maintenance of government vehicles at private garages without authority.
TSC was established by an Act of Parliament in 1996 and its mandate is to recruit, promote and handle disciplinary issues involving teachers. Though independent it falls under the Ministry of Education.
TSC chairperson Sister Juliana Kambilonje said apart from the concerned officers promising to pay back the money, her body would now ensure officers adhere to government procedures especially in procurement of goods.
“We have a copy of the audit that was done by the National Audit Office. We called all the involved officers from wherever they are and they have accepted to reimburse the money. They are no longer with this organisation but they are in other ministries now. We called them and they have accepted to pay back,” Kambilonje said.
Kambilonje said the concerned officers would be paying back the money they got from the body despite not being entitled to the said money.
The report in our possession says an examination of payment vouchers revealed that stationery worth K596,285 bought from eight private firms were not recorded in the stores ledgers and no delivery notes were produced for the audit. According to the report it could not be established that stores items were delivered and accounted for.
The audit says: “The commission repaired seven motor vehicles at private garages without obtaining authority from PVHO. The sum of K1,609,149.84 was paid for such repairs. It could not be established whether government paid for better services since the director of PVHO did not certify the work was done on vehicles”.
The audit observes that there was a breach in Malawi Public Service Regulation 1:756(2) when officers and commissioners got the sum of K67,771.60 in respect of house to office transport claims. The regulation, according to the report, states that transport claims should not include claims for traveling between the civil servant’s living quarters and his place of work.
TSC has also been reprimanded for purchasing stores items from private firms at exorbitant prices to the tune of K519,020.
According to the report, stationary bought at the price of K650,980 was not approved by government.
The auditors also reveal that subsistence and accommodation allowances amounting to K431,192.86 were not approved, balances from interviews to the tune of K192,511.10 were not accounted for because alleged recipients of money refused to have got the money and another K172,925 was unaccounted for. The audit has also revealed that about half a million kwacha was collected by officers who were not entitled to the said allowances.
The audit makes the revelation that the commission did not enter K1,587,200 worth of fuel coupons in the fuel register.
Deputy secretary for TSC Henry Mangani on Tuesday admitted that what was happening at the teachers’ recruitment agency was indeed an anomaly and apart from the existing government procedures, they would put strict measures to avoid the recurrence of the present scenario.
Both Mangani and Kambilonje said they could not explain how authorisations were taking place because the Secretary of TSC, who was an authorising officer, died.
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