2017 Education Ministry audit reveals glaring mishandling of funds

Former President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayyoom's administration saw the Ministry of Education initiate massive projects to develop school across some islands in 2017, which an audit report has revealed was conducted in direct defiance of the Public Finance Act,

The Education Ministry's audit report for 2017 states that the state incurred MVR 13,943,819 as losses in the project to develop five classrooms and a multi-purpose hall at L. Maavashu school, and that changes had been brought to the scope of and cost of the project to construct eight classrooms and a multi-purpose hall at M. Kolhufushi school without consulting the President's Office or the Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee.

According to the audit report, the project to develop eight classrooms and a multi-purpose hall in M. Kolhufushi was given to contractors at a price MVR 6,469,152 greater than the amount quoted by the contractor initially chosen by the National Tender Board.

Additionally, while the Public Finance Act states that government funds need to be used responsibly with transparency in a competitive manner most beneficial from an economic perspective, the agreement for four projects awarded by the National Tender Board in 2016 had been dissolved by the ministry without probable cause, following which they were awarded to third-party contractors who had not presented adequate plans on how they would execute the projects.

Projects re-directed in this way through the Ministry of Education during former President Yameen's administration include the extension plans for L. Maavashu and M. Kolhufushi schools, along with a project to construct ten classrooms, a staff room and an AV room at Madhrasath-ul Ifthithaah in Lh. Naifaru.