On 1 June 2023, the Ombudsman Commission received a complaint from a Head Master (the Complainant) of a Primary School who claimed that the Department of Education had improperly suspended him and put him off the payroll system.
The Commission notified the Department of Education of its intention to investigate the complaint as required under Section 17(1) of the Organic Law on the Ombudsman Commission and commenced preliminary inquiries on the cause of the suspension.
It then conducted an administrative investigation on the complaint pursuant to Section 219 of the Constitution and Section 13 of the Organic Law on the Ombudsman Commission with an aim to independently investigate the complaint and assess the issue thoroughly after obtaining information from both parties.
The investigation conducted reveals that the Complainant was put off the payroll without considering the record of his appointment and the duty summary sheet which he submitted to the Department for its consideration and action.
These documents were submitted to the Department on time for the 2023 academic year but they were not considered and actioned and the Head Teacher together with three other teachers was put off payroll and they missed out on salary and other allowances.
The Department of Education upon receiving the Ombudsman Commission’s notice of investigation, quickly resolved the matter by putting the Complainant and the three other teachers back on payroll and paid them backdated payments retrospectively to the date on which they missed out.
The Ombudsman Commission was informed of the positive actions taken by the Department of Education to restore the teachers back on payroll and it closed its investigation thereafter.
All public servants are accountable for their duties in they are assigned to. They will should be regulated by specific rules established for them to act accordingly. As the case above, the head teacher would have investigate properly to ensure that there’s no corruption in the public administration. This would show an example/precedent to deter some from allegations and improper conduct.