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Rabat – The Ministry of Education has suspended seven national education officials from performing their tasks and frozen their pay, over allegations they embezzled funds from the failed 2009-2012 education emergency plan.
“In addition to being suspended, their salaries have been frozen until they appear before a disciplinary council and the court can make a judgment,” an official from the Ministry of Education told news outlet Telquel.
Meanwhile, newspaper Al Massae reported on August 2 that a dozen individuals in the national education system were under investigation, revealing that numerous embezzlement deals had taken place during the implementation of the emergency plan.
Some education officials had out contracts in exchange for commissions, according to the daily, which estimated that these embezzlement deals have led to the loss of “millions” of dirhams.
The National Brigade of Judicial Police (BNPJ) preparing a report on the 2012-2016 emergency plan incident, which will be presented to the public prosecutor’s office once it is ready, added Al Massae.
The 2012-2016 emergency plan was launched by former Minister of Education Ahmed Akhchichine, with a budget of MAD 373 billion. Among other unfulfilled projects, the reform included the construction of 373 primary schools, including 1,700 rural classrooms, 807 middle schools and 350 boarding schools.
By the end of the plan’s assigned period, only MAD 25 billion were employed in the realization of the project instead of the planned 33 billion.
Of the 370 primary schools that were to be built, only 99 saw the light of day, revealed the ministry, adding that only 67 boarding schools were built instead of the planned 350.
