Fake appointments cast dark shadow over education sector

The Ministry of Education and Sports has raised the red flag over rampant forgeries of appointment and transfer letters by teachers. A recent circular from the ministry alerted heads of institutions and district leaders to the alarming trend, and warned of severe consequences for those caught in the act.

Dr Kendrace Turygenda, the Education ministry permanent secretary, said: “This ministry has received credible reports that the majority of these forgeries are being perpetuated by some errant officers within the education sector, who liaise with fraudsters purporting to be ministry officials.” 

The forged documents are sold to unsuspecting individuals—mostly secondary school teachers—who are desperate for positions or transfers. Some teachers, driven by the hope of advancing their careers or securing a more favourable posting, have reportedly paid substantial sums of money to obtain these fake letters. Dr Turyagyenda warned that any officer found in possession of a forged appointment or transfer letter would be guilty under Section 349 of the Penal Code Act. She said such an offence would be classified as a felony and would be punishable by prosecution. The circular dated November 15 also warned that the fraudulent acts constitute a breach of the Uganda Public Service Standing Orders, 2021, which prohibits the submission of false documents for purposes of securing a government job. The Education Service Regulations and the Teachers’ Professional Code of Conduct also warns that officers caught in such fraudulent activities would face serious disciplinary actions. 

The measures include termination of employment, the possibility of legal action, including imprisonment. The ministry has warned that heads of institutions who fail to verify the authenticity of appointment and transfer letters within their schools would be held personally responsible for any unverified staff members on their payroll. In an interview yesterday, Dr Asuman Lukwago, the secretary to the Education Service Commission, said:“We know there are some forgeries by teachers, especially those who do self-transfers. People even forge academic documents to get employed.” 

Meanwhile, education experts have blamed the increasing forgeries on laxity by the government in the appointment of teachers. 

Mr Filbert Baguma, the general secretary of the Uganda National Teachers Union (Unatuthe challenges arise from the bureaucratic processes of the Education Service Commission. He said the wrongdoers take advantage of delays within the ministry to process the fake appointment letters. “So, whoever failed the interviews tends to use this window and forge the letters with the help of some unscrupulous officials within the ministry and post themselves to various schools,” Mr Baguma said.

 Mr Patrick Kaboyo, the national secretary of the Federation of Nonstate Education Institutions, said there could be other people involved in the racket, apart from teachers. “Overall, there should be awareness raising for all teachers about the ramifications of the vice to ensure rewards and sanctions are administered accordingly,” he said. 

In response to the growing concern, Dr Turygenda said appointment and transfer letters can only be issued by the Education ministry at the Security Registry. She also urged teachers to follow the official channels for such matters.

PREVIOUS CASES

In 2022, the Education Service Commission carried out a validation exercise in secondary schools nationwide. The Commission unearthed 1,000 teachers in secondary and tertiary institutions who were found on the government payroll using forged documents including forged appointment letters. The officials indicated that the government losses over Shs7 billion annually to forged appointments, but to date, the vice hasn’t been eradicated.