Expatriate teachers in the country are subject to unlawful fees and financial exploitation, a special probe conducted by the Auditor General’s office has revealed.

An audit of expatriate teachers in state employment reveal that all of them employed under the ministry between 2012 and 2015 had been unjustly subject to extra fees.

Further, several teachers had also complained to the President’s Office, the ministry itself, and the Indian High Commission in the Maldives.

The teachers had said that recruiting agencies levy a fee under the guise of covering expenses in acquiring employment positions that they had applied for.

The audit had also noted that ministry had not taken any steps to control this exploitation except for releasing a circular in 2014 stating that expatriate teachers should not be subject to any employment fees.

The audit, which questioned 144 teachers, found that most of these fees are levied on the grounds that agencies needed to cover accommodation, and as compensation for tickets and guaranteeing employment.

56 percent of the teachers had told the AG’s office that they had each paid a sum of over USD 1,300 as extra payment.