By Grecium Gama

Civil Societies organizations (CSOs) in Phalombe district have accused primary schools headteachers for misusing Schools Implementing Grant (SIG) through the Budget Tracking Plan which CSOs did in ten primary schools.

Speaking during an interface meeting chairperson for Civil Society Coalition Louis Ng’oma explained that most of the headteachers in primary schools are sidelining the school implementing Grant committees when planning and on use of the grants.

“Through our budget trucking plan we have found that most of the headteachers are disregarding the committees which were formed to run the program instead they are misusing the resources.” said Ng’oma.

He further added that due to lack of supervision from District Education Manager’s office on the grant head teachers are not using the money properly, for instance Mwanga Primary school misused funds of 2014-2015 which they bought bags of cement to renovate blocks but due to un accountability of the head teachers on the choosing of the contractor it ended into misunderstandings between Head teacher and SIG committee, which led that the bags should not to be used up to date.

This development caused the school not to have an access of having grant of 2015 -2016 yet the school is facing a lot of problems that need to be solved using the grant.

Commenting on the matter during the meeting, Phalombe District Education Manager Hendrex Likeke said the meeting was an eye opener to his office and he insisted that such headteachers will face the law.

“Our office will act on all the headteachers who misuse the grant and the demotion will fall unto them.” Likeke said.

Phalombe CSOs found that most of the schools in the district are misusing the money by finding cheaper contractors that construct substandard structures for instance Nakwiwi primary school that cost over Mk118000.00 but currently it is in the sorry state.