By Ntsebeng Motsoeli
MASERU — The Directorate on Corruption and Economic Offences (DCEO) has for the past three days visited secondary schools in Hlotse to create awareness on corruption.
DCEO principal public education officer, Khauhelo Maliehe, said the move is a continuation of a schools anti-corruption programme whose aim is to sensitise scholars on behaviours that may encourage corruption.
Maliehe said it had come to their attention that campaigns to discourage corrupt practices were not inclusive of students even though students were affected.
“Most of the anti-corruption campaigns only targets people who are already in workplaces.
“We seemed to have forgotten that children were growing up in a corrupt environment,” Maliehe said.
She said the DCEO was also concerned by the number of cases where students were found to have forged high school leaving and university certificates.
She said it has also been speculated that some students buy question papers to copy examination answers.
“We want them to realise that it starts with small things like asking favours from others in exchange for incentives.
“It starts with some students not copying reading notes and paying others to help them copy notes for them,” she said.
Maliehe said there has been a positive response from the students, most of whom were not aware of the seriousness of the practices they engaged in.
She added that corruption was already evident in secondary school, even though it is at lower levels.
Maliehe said the programme, which is now on the pilot stage, will be rolled out to other schools if it becomes successful.
The pilot schools are Molapo, Mt Royal, ’Masenate, St Saviours and Hlotse High Schools.
