The Education Service Commission has uncovered ‘huge’ sums of money inserted in one of the application documents submitted for one of the recently advertised job lots.
Available information indicates that the panel headed by Rev Prof Dr Samuel Abimerech Luboga, was reviewing applications for the posts of headteachers to shortlist suitable candidates when this unprecedented and awkward situation befell them.
“It was a huge sum of money put in an envelope together with other required documents and application forms. Everyone on the panel was surprised, no one had ever seen this previously,” a source at the commission who preferred anonymity told Uganda Radio Network.
Dr Asuman Lukwago, the Secretary to the Education Service Commission, confirmed the happening but declined to share details of the applicant and how much money was found in the envelope. However, Dr Lukwago says that the applicant is a male Deputy Head Teacher from the central region who was applying for the post of headteacher.
Lukwago says that after discovering this ambiguity, the commission alerted police and immediately called the applicant in question since the application form had his contact details. After interrogating him, the deputy headteacher explained that he unknowingly put the money in the envelope that also had his application documents.
“He said that on the day of filing his application he had a school board meeting and had arranged transport refund for them. He says he could have erroneously placed his application in one of the envelopes,” Lukwago narrated quoting the deputy headteacher. After the explanation, the applicant was let off the hook and given back the ‘misplaced transport refund
Although the commission says that they had never seen an applicant slipping money together with his or her application, several teachers who wish to get onto government payroll or receive promotions have often been accused of bribing officers involved in the process.
There are cases of teachers who have been duped by unscrupulous individuals to whom they pay hefty sums of money to secure government appointments. To limit the corruption tendencies in the process, the commission recently unveiled an e-electronic system where all applications will be sent to limit physical interactions between applicants and officers of the commission.
Meanwhile, Dr Lukwago says that the commission has received over 32,000 applications for the 2,113 posts that are available. Out of the said post 54 are for headteachers while 17 are deputy headteachers.
“The commission has three weeks to look at every application and shortlist the best candidates. for posts with few applicants, interviews will start immediately while post with big numbers, we will have to carry out aptitude tests to further reduce on the numbers,” he added.
The secretary however warned that applicants should desist from acts of bribing officers of the commission since shortlisting and eventual appointments of personnel in the education service are done on merit.
–URN
