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104 Diagnosing Corruption in Ethiopia
Such concerns are not, however, validated by the household-level survey
responses, which indicate the following:
• A strong sense that the PTA provides a good point of liaison with the
community
• High levels of awareness of PTA decisions
• High levels of involvement in the school, including a monitoring
function
• A strong sense of knowing how school charges are spent
• An apparent awareness of formal reporting on the spending of school
charges
• A strong view that collected fees are used exclusively for the good of
the school
• A strong majority view that use of contributions is transparent.
In view of these responses, the assessment is downgraded to “medium
risk” but not to “low risk” based on the relative lack of accountability in
the case of locally generated funds, which constitutes an area of risk that
needs to be addressed.
Favoritism, nepotism, or bribery in the short-listing of consultants or contractors
or the provision of tender information—risk: medium. The short-listing
component of this risk is related to concerns expressed in survey
responses about the dominant market position of some favored contractors
and consultants and reported cases of private contractors being
awarded contracts for which they were not eligible to bid. However,
such reports relate to the construction sector as a whole, which is beyond
the scope of this study. The only specific report linking such risks to the
education sector was an unsubstantiated report that the Finance and
Administration Department—the agency within the MOE that is
responsible for building maintenance—was under investigation for suspected
unspecified malpractice.
Concerning the risk of unfair provision of tender information, interview
responses included unsubstantiated suggestions of a corrupt relationship
between some established universities and certain private
contractors for the construction and maintenance of facilities.
Tendering companies owned by persons linked with the award of contracts—
risk: medium. This risk is understood to exist within the construction
sector as a whole but was not specifically identified as a risk in relation to