Cape Town - There is massive evidence that corruption continues unabated in schools, along with a persistent failure from the government to act against those implicated in corrupt activities, Corruption Watch said.
The organisation released a report on Thursday, Sound the Alarm, which highlighted levels of corruption including widespread acts of bribery, blatant flouting of employment and procurement processes in the education sector despite policies and legislation.
About 3 667 cases of corruption were received between 2012 and 2021. Of the reports, 3 417 were cases that impacted basic education.
Misappropriation of resources accounted for 45% of cases followed by maladministration at 17% and abuse of authority at 15% - the top three forms of corruption.
The education departments identified as hotspots where corrupt activities are reported to occur most frequently were Gauteng with 32% cases, KwaZulu-Natal 16% and Eastern Cape 12%.
While the Western Cape Education Department had a higher abuse of authority cases than the national average, it was among the provinces that recorded the lowest reported cases.
MEC David Maynier attributed the 5% of cases reported to the “tough stance” against corrupt activities.
“Corruption in schools steals resources from our own children,” he said.
Cape Times