A TOTAL of 599 ghost pupils have been discovered at six primary schools in Ilala, Dar es Salaam Region, hence necessitating a fresh verification in all 99 schools in the district.
“We have many schools in my district. But the ghost students have been discovered in six schools only... I am not comfortable with this figure; I believe there are more of them. I have directed education officers and head teachers to conduct verification so that we can come up with correct figure,” Ms Mjema commented.
She explained that the verification exercise was being done by using pupil’s admission forms thus ghost students were discovered when the number of registered students differ from those present in schools.
According to Ms Mjema, officials responsible for conducting verification took an oath so that they can be held accountable when they provide false information. “Each school was allocated funds basing on the number of students.
But some head teachers presented big numbers of students contrary to those present in schools, as a result they spent the taxpayers’ money for their personal use,” Ms Mjema noted.
She explained that the government allocated 400m/- for Ilala District with the aim of improving education in the area, adding; ‘‘but it has not been so’’.
Ms Mjema said that she has given the Municipal Executive Director up to September 1 to have in place the correct figure of ghost pupils and as well as stating disciplinary action taken against teachers involved in stealing government funds.
In another development, the Ilala council has managed to resolve shortage of desks by having 3,146 extra desks, equivalent to 117 per cent.
Ms Mjema said that her district was focusing on building more classrooms and it has so far completed 20 out of 24 that the district was required to construct.
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