The Chairman of the Board of the Delta State Universal Basic Education Board, Comrade Elijah Ologe, on Tuesday began the war on ghost workers among primary school teachers in the state.
The move, Ologe said, was to assist Governor Ifeanyi Okowa to block all areas of financial leakages so that his government can have enough money to execute people-oriented projects.
The SUBEB boss has therefore directed the Education Secretaries of the 25 council areas across the state to furnish his office nominal roles from 2009 till date, coupled with approvals of employment with names, breakdown of salaries, lists of teaching and non-teaching staff, list of retirees from 2009 till date with their computer numbers, list of dead teachers till date, which must be stated month by month in soft and hard copies, within 10 days.
The directive will also include the list of promoted teaching and non-teaching staff in soft and hard copies and all other documents relating to salaries of staff.
While disclosing that periodic audit of staff would be done by the board in conjunction with Local Government Council chairmen, he said digital attendance register would be introduced to assist in checking ghost workers and absenteeism, even as he said “desk payment will also be introduced to as part of effort in checking the rising wage bill of teachers”.
Ologe said the fraud being perpetrated in the primary education sector of the state has grown chronic, maintaining that appointments and promotions would be on merit.
Speaking during a separate meeting with the 25 Local Government Council Chairmen and Board members, management staff of the Board and Education Secretaries of Local Education Authorities in the state in Asaba, Ologe said the meeting became imperative following reports and accusations of ceaseless fraud rocking salaries and appointments of teachers.
He said: “The accusations are embarrassing. A situation where people will begin to allege that SUBEB is conniving with people to manipulate payments at our Computer Units is unacceptable. We have to look at issues together and see how to address this increasing wage bill because some of them are mechanical.”
According to him, the move was not to witch hunt anybody but in line with Governor Ifeanyi Okowa’s abhorrence of all forms of fraud.
“We must assist the State Government to block all financial leakages and save more money for the development of the state. Therefore, we must fish out all ghost-workers and ensure that only genuine teachers are paid their entitlements as at when due,” he insisted.
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