uThungulu has thousands of ghost pupils
Investigation reveals 286 principals inflated the number of pupils at their schools in uThungulu.
AN investigation instigated by KZN’s Finance Portfolio committee in July last year into actual learner numbers has revealed that there may be as many as 200 000 ghost pupils in the province.
Today, during a Finance Committee briefing, KZN Education MEC Peggy Nkonyeni reported that a headcount to authenticate pupil numbers was only partially completed, with uThungulu the only district out of 11 in KZN to have completed this process.
The MEC’s feedback on uThungulu has revealed that;
– 286 principals inflated learner numbers.
– Of these, 150 are currently under investigation and facing disciplinary charges.
– The number of pupils overstated in uThungulu alone stands at 17 000.
In a statement released today, Francois Rodgers, DA spokesman for finance said, given that this was only one of 11 KZN districts – and that this may well be the norm – then the department could be looking at overinflated learner numbers of 200 000.
‘Should this prediction prove accurate, the department could well be facing fraudulent payments and costs in excess of hundreds of millions of rands,’ he said.
The DA has called for Nkonyeni to put together a plan – with time frames – indicating how she will ‘deal with the problem in her department’.
