Member of National Parliament Leonel Marcal has requested the Ministry of Social Solidarity investigate the vocal point in charge of the maternal subsidy program in Oesilo, Oe-Cusse, following reports that some families are receiving payments for children who do not attend school.
The Commission F (health, education, culture and veterans’ and gender equality affairs) member said he received the reports from the Oesilo education administrator during an inspection.
“We need to investigate his staff and if any facts are proven, this must be conveyed to the Anti-Corruption Commission for an in-depth investigation,” Deputy Marcal said in parliament.
Deputy Marcal said the problem occurred as a result of a failure to co-ordinate between the Ministry of Social Solidarity and the Ministry of Education.
He said the aim of the policy was to provide financial support to underprivileged students who required good scores to continue their studies.
As this money came directly from the state budget, Deputy Marcal said recipients had a responsibility to obey the rules.
He called on the Ministry of Social Solidarity to verify the reports as the problem was not confined only to Oesilo but similar incidences occurred in places where the subsidy program was not closely supervised.
He said he had heard reports that the children of public servants were improperly receiving the subsidies.
Solidarity Social minister Isabel Amaral Guterres said the ministry would investigate the claims that families with children not attending school were receiving the subsidies.
“We have heard about this and the deputy has also written us a letter therefore we will go to the base to verify our data,” Guterres said.
However she said the Ministry of Social Solidarity (MSS) would not make any unilateral decision in regards to the issue as the information first needed to be verified as the maternal subsidy program was a co-operative program between MSS and the heads of villages.
“But if there are any vocal points from MSS who are found to have broken the rules, they will be subject to the laws which are in force in Timor-Leste,” she said.
