School authorities and teachers have been urged to adhere to proper business and procurement procedures to promote transparency and accountability in the education sector.
The call was made during a leadership, empowerment, and procurement clinic for the education sector hosted by Teachers for Economic Development in Harare over the weekend.
Teachers for ED National Chairperson Ropafadzo Matemavi said the initiative was driven by concerns over the financial mismanagement of school projects and improper business practices among educators.
“We were having several schools that were in trouble for failing to run their businesses. We know that even teachers are being empowered and most are failing to follow the right procedures when they want to provide goods and services to their schools,” Matemavi said.
Harare Metropolitan Provincial Education Director Jorum Mupunza commended the training, saying it would help improve the management of school enterprises.
“We were having a challenge in most schools because of improper ways of running businesses. I am sure now it is going to change because of this initiative,” he said.
The Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) also emphasized the need for ethical conduct and financial discipline within schools.
ZACC Manager for Public Education Munyaradzi Magiga revealed that a number of schools were under investigation following reports of misused funds.
“As the ZAAC, we have been investigating a number of schools, mostly because there were complaints of misuse of funds. Hence the need to raise awareness so that there is no corruption in the teaching value chain,” Magiga noted.
Representing School Development Committees (SDCs), Tarirai Samambwa highlighted the importance of understanding procurement regulations to ensure school resources are used effectively.
“It is critical that we understand these things because we had no clue as to how we should run these businesses so that they benefit everyone. Indeed, ZACC and PRAZ have been flagging most of our businesses,” Samambwa explained.
One of the participants, School Head Mary Gwati, said the symposium had empowered school leaders with vital knowledge to ensure compliance and good governance.
“We are really appreciative of this opportunity because we are going to do our business properly to the benefit of the schools and the country. The symposium has really empowered us,” Gwati said.
The workshop brought together education leaders, procurement authorities, anti-corruption officials and members of School Development Committees (SDCs) to promote ethical conduct and improve financial management in schools.
