TI-Rwanda shows the risk of corruption in the education and health sectors – KT PRESS

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Transparency International Rwanda (TI-Rwanda) presented qualitative research findings that indicate a high risk of corruption, bribery and sexual favors in both the education and health sectors.

The results of the “Corruption risk assessment in the education and health sectors in Rwanda” conducted in five districts were presented on May 30, 2024, as part of the “Inclusive Service Delivery for Africa” ​​(ISDA) project, which operates in five African countries – Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo , Ghana, Madagascar and Zimbabwe.

The corruption risk assessment aims to assess the risk of corruption in the education sector in Rwanda, as well as examining how corruption may prevent women, girls and other vulnerable groups from accessing educational services.

In Rwanda, corruption risk assessment is measured by probability and impact, where: Probability (1-5) indicates the likelihood of the risk occurring and the score ranges from 1 to 5 (1 = low risk and 5 = high risk) Impact (1- 5) indicates the expected impact on the predicted outcome, with a rating from 1 to 5 (1 = low impact, 5 = high impact).

In the education sector, findings showed a high risk and likelihood of corruption in the provision of food to public schools, student assessment, allocation of internships and grades for tertiary/TVET students, student admission and placement in public secondary schools; teacher recruitment and transfers.

Respondents’ findings showed that the risk of corruption, bribery and sexual favors in the allocation and transfer of administrative staff and teachers was high. For example, service seekers’ risk was 3.8 and service providers’ risk was 3.9; during internship supervision, service seeker risk was 4 points and provider risk was 3.9.

The findings also showed a high risk of sexual harassment among students during assessments in public high schools and colleges. For example, the assessment process achieved a risk score of 3.6 for both service seekers and providers.

Collette Ndabarushimana, policy and legal coordinator at Ti-Rwanda, said the issue of sexual harassment was a serious issue that needed attention as it largely affected women and girls.

To a different extent, the risks and impacts in this sector have extended to vulnerable people with disabilities, especially women and children.

Claudine Munganyinka* (not real names), the victim of the above case, showed how she found herself in double jeopardy when her disabled daughter was refused a secondary school place and offered it to a wealthy businessman who also had a disabled child.

“First of all, my child was denied the opportunity to enroll in secondary school, but he was also removed from the list of vulnerable beneficiaries in category 1 in Ubudehe and placed in category 3,” she said.

Placing her child in the third category means she was financially capable and not vulnerable despite physical evidence that the child had a multiple disability – unable to speak, walk or play normally.

“This transparency study should be a voice for what we are going through and an opportunity to take action such as starting training and educating local leaders,” she said.

In the health sector, experiences and insights shared by the focus group and participants identified the risk of corruption in various areas of assessment – with nepotism, favoritism, sexual extortion and bribery identified as the most common types of corruption.

Most of the risks in this sector were not very different from those in the education sector, and one of the primary risks in both sectors was the issue of sexual violence – to the extent that some patients were sexually abused before seeking medical help.

For this sector in particular, the findings showed a high risk of 3.8 for citizens to be classified in the UBUDEHE categories, while in other areas such as hospitalization/admission services, health human resources services, patient transfers and medical student internships, drug supplies, and nonmedical supplies generally showed moderately low risk.

TI-Rwanda Executive Director Apollinaire Mupiganyi said: “There remain risks of corruption affecting the service delivery chain in both the education and health sectors. Therefore, it is extremely important to strengthen the service supply chain.”

Permanent Secretary in the Office of the Ombudsman, Xavier Mbarubukeye, said the findings of the study, although not quantitative, are informative and could provide a position for Rwanda on how to continue to address existing cases of corruption and bribery.

In an online speech, Jamie Bergin, research coordinator for Transparency International, said corruption and its effects in these sectors are generally unrecognized, undermining aspirations for development goals and respect for rights in both sectors.

Bergin shared mitigation strategies including: better enforcement (sanctions), independent audits and inspections, the use of digital and automated processes to reduce risk factors, but also the involvement of civil society and the need to increase awareness-raising efforts.

Paul Banoba, Transparency International’s regional advisor for Africa, said there has been a lot of investment (over $14 billion) in both sectors and unless action is taken, the above trends will impact people’s lives over the next 15 years.

The Director-General of Standards and Regulations for Quality Health Services at the Ministry of Health, Dr. Jean Baptiste Ntihumbya, stated that the findings regarding the sector are not unknown, however, the current reforms, overhauls and restructuring in the sector that are associated with an increase in the number of doctors per patient ( 4by4 model), innovations in digital processes and the creation of a citizen opinion platform will solve many problems.