NO SCHOOL HAS BEEN PAID

MBABANE – No school as yet- has been paid by government. This is the situation at the moment following a statement by Minister for Education and Training Phineas Magagula this week that government had already paid school fees for 330 orphaned and vulnerable children (OVCs).

The purported early payment was said to have been a counter effort by government to avoid another delay in payment of schools fees for such children.
Our sister publication, The Times daily, quoted the minister of Education as having said there were now just over 100  schools remaining to be paid, particularly those in the Lubombo and Manzini regions.
He is said to have called upon the remaining schools to submit their updated list of OVCs as soon as possible.

However, Swaziland Principals Association President Mduduzi Bhembe, when reached for comment, is said to have found this too good to be true.

Check

Yesterday when the Swazi News tried to get hold of the list of schools that have already been paid from the Deputy Prime Minister’s Office, Director of Social Welfare Thandi Maziya said there was not a single school that she could say to have been paid.
In fact, Maziya said it was still early but the payment process itself has begun.

“If we say we have paid, the Treasury Department would have released either the cheques or made electronic payment since that is what we are currently advocating for.”

Paid

She continued: “Also, when we say we have paid, that is when there is something we have deposited in schools’ accounts or issued them with cheques.”
Maziya explained that the payment process, which was still underway, includes signing of vouchers and would have everything referred to the Treasury Department.
She said they were still in the process of signing vouchers for the payment and that these have not yet even reached her office for signature.

Received

Maziya emphasized that no school had received any payment but what was happening was that they had started processing to avoid late payments after schools have opened. 
When Magagula was reached to give clarity on the matter, he said he was to sort this out next week after having consulted with his ministry’s principal secretary and accountant.
“This is because information I release to the public is something I have worked with the principal secretary. Can I at least consult with him?” said Minister Magagula.

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