Nyore Madzianike
Senior Reporter
GOVERNMENT has completed an audit of the Basic Education Assistance Module programme to weed out undeserving beneficiaries, with a report expected soon.
The audit will also be used to create a social registry to enable the Government to track beneficiaries more effectively.
About 1.5 million learners across the country are currently benefiting from the BEAM programme.
Responding to questions during the Question-and-Answer session in Parliament on Wednesday, Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare Minister Edgar Moyo said the Government had instituted the audit after noting growing cases of undeserving beneficiaries accessing the programme.
Minister Moyo said the Government had received numerous complaints from across the country, prompting the audit to identify areas of weakness and develop improved governance mechanisms to enhance targeting.
“It has been noted that, in some cases, people who do not deserve to benefit from BEAM are benefiting.
“That has resulted in us instituting an audit of the BEAM programme.
“That audit is complete, and a report is being prepared so that we can improve our targeting.
“We are also developing a social registry, a platform on which we are going to upload beneficiaries so that targeting is improved and digitised. As we move forward with the BEAM programme, we will eliminate cases of people benefiting when they are not supposed to benefit.”
Although Minister Moyo acknowledged that the Government was lagging behind in settling BEAM arrears at some schools, he said all special schools and learners with special needs had been fully paid.
“I want to acknowledge that BEAM arrears are an issue.
“BEAM payments have not been made for quite some time. However, we continue to make payments as we receive funds from the Treasury.
“I can confirm that this year we have received just under ZiG90 million, which we have paid, in the majority of cases, to special schools. For special schools, I can confirm that we are almost 100 percent up to date in terms of our payments.
“However, for regular schools, we are not yet close to that level.
“BEAM is largely dependent on disbursements from the Treasury.
“So, we only make payments as and when we receive the funding,” he said.
Minister Moyo said the ministry was engaging the Ministry of Finance, Economic Development and Investment Promotion to secure the release of additional funds for BEAM.
He said the Ministry of Finance had promised to accelerate disbursements towards the programme so that schools were not disadvantaged.
Source: BEAM audit targets undeserving beneficiaries – herald
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