Politicians, elites abuse Nsanje bursary scheme
Nsanje District commissioner (DC) Harry Phiri made a stunning revelation on Tuesday when he told a stakeholders’ meeting that the government bursary scheme has been heavily infested with corruption and fraud.
The National Initiative for Civic Education (Nice) Trust organised the meeting to allow councillors, traditional leaders and the civil society to assess the social and economic challenges the district is facing and provide possible solutions.
Participants took advantage of the assembly to quiz the DC on why his office was not registering orphans and vulnerable children who have just been selected to pursue secondary and tertiary education in various schools in the country.
In his response, Phiri said some political heavyweights and politically-connected persons in the district are forcing his charges to remove the deserving students from the scheme and replace them with their children and wards.
“The most unfortunate thing is that some of the culprits are working closely with the chiefs to dupe our officers. Aren’t you [chiefs] supposed to safeguard the interests of the poor in your areas? So, why do you support this malpractice?” he asked.
Phiri expressed fear that his office may not be able to provide for the recently selected students.
“If my office is struggling to pay fees for the Form Four students who have already gone back to their various schools, does it make sense for us to enlist even more?” he said.
