News / Education
Illegal interviews, teachers college rakes $70,000
22 Jul 2014 at 08:18hrs | Views
Seke Teachers College raked in more than $70 000 through illegal interviews for aspiring teachers - with college authorities failing to explain the circumstances, parliament heard on Monday.
The permanent secretary in the ministry of Higher and Tertiary education, Washington Mbizvo, on Monday told the parliamentary portfolio committee on Higher and Tertiary Education that according to government rules and standard, Seke Teachers College flouted rules and regulations when it conducted interviews for over 7 000 aspiring teacher trainees.
"The procedure was not followed (and), if they had followed a proper procedure, they would never have had such figures because the proper process required that the college places an advert in the press and prospective candidates apply before they are shortlisted for the interview," Mbizvo told the committee chaired by MDC-T MP for Chinhoyi, Peter Matarutse.
More than 7 000 aspiring trainee teachers thronged Seke Teachers College in May, hoping to be shortlisted for 500 vacancies on offer, with each of them paying $10.
Ordinary and Advanced Level certificate holders joined the unprecedented and biggest scramble for college places said to ever have been witnessed in the country.
Some slept at the college on Wednesday and Thursday nights.
"That should have not happened and as a ministry, we summoned all principals to deal with that and rectify the anomalies," Mbizvo said.
Seke principal, Ephraim Mutubuki, who was accompanying the secretary, could not explain why they did that, referring all questions to Mbizvo as legislators demanded to know how they would compensate those aspiring students who came in and paid their money, but not guaranteed enrolment at the institution.
Meanwhile, in his presentation Mutubuki told the committee that his institution was owed more than $600 000 by government in tuition for the over 700 students under cadetship.
"This non availability of this money is affecting our operation as a college because we are unable to fund certain projects that we ought to. Although we have introduced various fundraising initiatives we are, on most occasions, forced to tream down on our projects and academic initiatives that we would have wanted to do," he said.
The permanent secretary in the ministry of Higher and Tertiary education, Washington Mbizvo, on Monday told the parliamentary portfolio committee on Higher and Tertiary Education that according to government rules and standard, Seke Teachers College flouted rules and regulations when it conducted interviews for over 7 000 aspiring teacher trainees.
"The procedure was not followed (and), if they had followed a proper procedure, they would never have had such figures because the proper process required that the college places an advert in the press and prospective candidates apply before they are shortlisted for the interview," Mbizvo told the committee chaired by MDC-T MP for Chinhoyi, Peter Matarutse.
More than 7 000 aspiring trainee teachers thronged Seke Teachers College in May, hoping to be shortlisted for 500 vacancies on offer, with each of them paying $10.
Ordinary and Advanced Level certificate holders joined the unprecedented and biggest scramble for college places said to ever have been witnessed in the country.
"That should have not happened and as a ministry, we summoned all principals to deal with that and rectify the anomalies," Mbizvo said.
Seke principal, Ephraim Mutubuki, who was accompanying the secretary, could not explain why they did that, referring all questions to Mbizvo as legislators demanded to know how they would compensate those aspiring students who came in and paid their money, but not guaranteed enrolment at the institution.
Meanwhile, in his presentation Mutubuki told the committee that his institution was owed more than $600 000 by government in tuition for the over 700 students under cadetship.
"This non availability of this money is affecting our operation as a college because we are unable to fund certain projects that we ought to. Although we have introduced various fundraising initiatives we are, on most occasions, forced to tream down on our projects and academic initiatives that we would have wanted to do," he said.
Source - Zim Mail
