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same modus operandi to loot the levies. Working in connivance with those who supply goods, they inflate prices and the school authorities would go and pocket the differences after the payments.”
Mr Mutasa said some of the companies that schools purported to be dealing with were brief case firms.

“Most of the schools, if not all, use the requisition system where the school committee and headmasters should agree on what needs to be bought.
“It is those in charge who normally look for the suppliers and that is when they forge quotations or approach their relatives. What is saddening is that after investigations you would find out that some of the companies are not found on this earth,” he said.
Mr Mutasa said they had challenged the new regulations being crafted by the Ministry of Education, Sport, Arts and Culture, fearing they will be circumvented.

Mr Brian Crozier, a lawyer, is drafting regulations for the ministry, which are expected to end the embezzling of funds.
“We have challenged Minister Coltart because we felt some of his proposals were too loose and gave too much power to school heads.
“The reason why Statutory Instrument 379/98 came into place was because many school heads were being charged for embezzling school funds and the ministry wanted to give the heads more power.

“That instrument gave parents powers to sue or to be sued and the system should still give parents some power.”
Under the new regulations, sources said, each school will have 14 committee members of which the treasurer and secretary will be appointed by the school head. The school head will also be responsible for firing them.

Said a source: “The two who in most cases, together with the chairman, are signatories to the school account would stay at the pleasure of the person (headmaster) who appointed them. This is unfair to parents who might not be happy with their performance.
“Levies had been proposed to be deposited into a Special Services Fund meaning they would be receipted in Government books leaving school bursars with no chance. This means they would also push the bursars out of employment.”

Minister Coltart recently expressed concern over the increase in complaints his ministry was receiving from school officials, parents and guardians over the embezzlement of school funds.
He said his ministry had received over 30 cases of “massive corruption” in the past three months, an indication that there might be more unreported cases.

The payment of incentives to teachers by parents has also contributed to the increase in corruption at most schools.
Education officials have been deployed to work with provincial education directors to curb the theft of public funds.