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| Kathmandu Saturday March 30, 2002 Chaitra 17, 2058. |
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Embezzlement at BPEP
The Department of Education (DoE) formed to
implement the second phase of the Basic and Primary Education Programme (BPEP) has
witnessed the embezzling of millions of rupees while hiring consultant firms. A few
individuals working with the DoE awarded to the Astra Development Network the work of
design and estimation for the district education office buildings of Baitadi, Darchula,
Kalikot and Doti for 6.8 million rupees. Bipin K Chitrakar, who owns Astra Development
Network, got the project with inside help. But a similar project was awarded to BDA Nepal
for less than half the amount given to Astra. Besides, the procurement consultant of the
physical service branch at DoE brokered the contract for monitoring DoE construction sites
in favour of New Progressive Designers (NPD), a firm run by the procurement consultant’s
own father. Here the irony is that the task of monitoring was awarded to the highest
bidder in serious violation of this country’s financial regulations. NPD has also
misused the resources of DoE on the pretext of installing computers. Educational experts
given the responsibility for research have taken 12 million rupees with little to show for
it. The five percent local tax paid to the consultant by the DoE is also a serious
violation of financial regulations. The DoE could have added this tax in the total amount
paid to the hired consultant firms, had there been any provision agreed to between the two
parties at the time of awarding the job. Again, whether the consultant firms have paid
their income taxes has been in question.
The second phase of BPEP has been implemented
since 1999 with an aim of providing quality education to primary school children, besides
the construction of district education office buildings. The Ministry of Education,
following the directive of donor entities — DANIDA, NORAD, the World Bank and the EU
that provided 226 million dollars — has formed the DoE to implement BPEP effectively.
The first phase of BPEP, which had started in 1992, was completed in 1999. A mid term
review conducted by the World Bank showed "dismal" performance as a result of
gross irregularities and misuse of funds. The WB has even asked the DoE to conduct a probe
into such serious financial irregularities. Yet, the DoE has neither scrutinized how it
awarded the projects, nor brought to light the names of those involved in such
irregularities. The practice of nepotism, corruption, favouritism and cronyism continues
to rule the roost in educational development. This is the reason why half the children
living in remote districts - Humla, Jumla, Rolpa and Pyuthan — have no access to
primary education, leave aside quality education. Of the total financial assistance meant
for primary schools, the DoE has spent more than half in hiring consultant firms. How long
such misappropriations of foreign assistance for education will continue remains an
unanswered question. But the government can no longer afford to ignore such gross
irregularities. It must take firm action against those crooks involved in awarding
contracts to consultant firms. |
