News / Press Release
Scholarship programmes not transparent - ZCGG
29 Jan 2018 at 20:18hrs | Views
The Zimbabwe Campaign For Good Governance (ZCGG) is concerned by lack of transparency in the management and administration of government and Presidential Scholarship programmes. For many years we believed that the Presidential Scholarship programme was an act of charity by the former President. We only got to know that it was a Treasury Sponsored programme during the Tendai Biti tenure as Minister of Finance.
The Presidential Scholarship lacks transparency and accountability, is wasteful, discriminatory and abused. The programme has mainly benefited the connected, ruling party functionaries, businesspersons and senior civil servants. The programme needs a comprehensive audit and a complete overhaul.
It is expensive and wasteful to have a full Ministry to administer scholarship programmes. They should be administered by a department in the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education. The Ministry says, it expects a budget of US$10 million this year to run the programmes. The money should instead be used to maintain, develop and expand deplorable facilities at local institutions which in turn will accommodate the so called 'disadvantaged' students sent outside the country.
Initially, the Presidential Scholarship programme to South Africa was meant for studies at the University of Fort Hare as an honour to the former President who studied there in the 1950s. It has now been expanded to more than 10 other institutions including strangely, a very expensive private Monash University. Can the Ministry provide a list of all students who went to Monash? How "ordinary" are those students?
The Presidential Scholarship programme is also discriminatory: It benefits the less gifted students who would have failed to enter local institutions while their more gifted colleagues are learning and living under filthy and squalor conditions. Why not use the money to improve local institutions and conditions to accommodate all - simple?
On bilateral or government to government scholarships, again the selection should be transparent, accountable and cost effective. The government should only consider full scholarships that cover airfares, tickets, tuition and living expenses and not half / part scholarships that make students live in destitution. These scholarships should for very critical skills and not 'Shona', 'Ndebele' or 'Sotho'.
Government and Presidential Scholarships need a total revamp / review. There is need to stamp out corruption, nepotism, favouritism, wastefulness, abuse and other ills.
If Zimbabwe is now in a New Era as said by the New President, it must walk the talk, be accountable and transparent for the good of all.
M. M. CHANGAMIRE
INFORMATION ZCGG
The Presidential Scholarship lacks transparency and accountability, is wasteful, discriminatory and abused. The programme has mainly benefited the connected, ruling party functionaries, businesspersons and senior civil servants. The programme needs a comprehensive audit and a complete overhaul.
It is expensive and wasteful to have a full Ministry to administer scholarship programmes. They should be administered by a department in the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education. The Ministry says, it expects a budget of US$10 million this year to run the programmes. The money should instead be used to maintain, develop and expand deplorable facilities at local institutions which in turn will accommodate the so called 'disadvantaged' students sent outside the country.
Initially, the Presidential Scholarship programme to South Africa was meant for studies at the University of Fort Hare as an honour to the former President who studied there in the 1950s. It has now been expanded to more than 10 other institutions including strangely, a very expensive private Monash University. Can the Ministry provide a list of all students who went to Monash? How "ordinary" are those students?
On bilateral or government to government scholarships, again the selection should be transparent, accountable and cost effective. The government should only consider full scholarships that cover airfares, tickets, tuition and living expenses and not half / part scholarships that make students live in destitution. These scholarships should for very critical skills and not 'Shona', 'Ndebele' or 'Sotho'.
Government and Presidential Scholarships need a total revamp / review. There is need to stamp out corruption, nepotism, favouritism, wastefulness, abuse and other ills.
If Zimbabwe is now in a New Era as said by the New President, it must walk the talk, be accountable and transparent for the good of all.
M. M. CHANGAMIRE
INFORMATION ZCGG
Source - M M Changamire
