Education ministry ‘fails’ PAC
MINISTRY of General Education financial irregularities are the worst so far encountered by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) and Permanent Secretary Henry Tukombe received a telling off from committee members who warned that the situation should improve.
Committee chairperson, Howard Kunda, who is Muchinga Member of Parliament urged Mr Tukombe to take decisive action and ensure sanity was brought back in the ministry.
Mr Kunda warned that PAC would not allow controlling officers to be taking a casual approach to serious national matters and that the Committee would invoke their powers to bring about corrective measures.
“We want to see change at the Ministry of General Education because it is the foundation of our country’s education system. These are serious issues and it cannot be business as usual,” he said. Nkana MP Alexander Chiteme said it was alarming that the financial report had a query on all issues such as misappropriation of funds, forgery and misapplication of funds.
Kasempa UPND MP Brenda Tambatamba said what was happening at the Ministry of General Education was madness and that there was need to bring back sanity.
Ms Tambatamba said education was key to national development but that it was sad that people entrusted with responsibility were not doing their job.