Maker has written comprehensively and well on the above subject. I, too, have observed the corruption and mismanagement of government managed schools and technical colleges closely.
Maker has vocalised all our thoughts by drawing attention to this crucial issue. However, to imagine that there can be any revival of the Adopt a School programme that would actually benefit the students reflects only the idealism of Maker and "the triumph of hope over experience.
How is it that the government always gets to control the resources and assets (which donors pay for) and the donors are only tolerated for a few years before being given their marching orders?
Is it because the government is not sincere in its efforts.
Why is it that most salaries for teaching and the ancillary staff at these schools are still paid in cash? Surely if the government was determined to root out "ghost teachers," the first thing they would insist on is documented payments through banks to the teachers and clerical staff.
This would make it very hard to draw a salary under a fictitious name.
They would also hand over the actual management of the schools and colleges to well-constituted boards of trustees or governors with due authority to discipline and even dismiss negligent or absent staff, but this is never done.
Above all, they would not appoint illiterates or people with very murky reputations to the education department, but this too happens all too often.
Maker is absolutely right to say that there can be no future for a nation which is not educating its younger generation. Indeed, the realisation that we have wasted the last 6 years in this regard is at the root of our disenchantment with the present government and our skepticism of their tall claims of economic progress. There can be no real progress without the basic attention to education that is so lacking.
However, my sincere plea to all citizens who wish to help would be to focus their resources on their own or other private efforts, since to expect anything approaching efficiency and honesty from the government in this matter would simply be throwing good money after bad.
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