School head, deputy sentenced to 20 months in prison for ‘stealing Beam funds’

Amos [email protected]
A Headmaster and his Deputy at a Secondary School in Chiredzi have been sentenced to 20 months imprisonment for diverting Basic Education Assistance Module (BEAM) funds to benefit their own children.
The ruling addresses their abuse of the programme intended for underprivileged pupils.
In a statement on X, the National Prosecution Authority of Zimbabwe (NPAZ) revealed that the issue came to light after an anonymous letter was sent to Triangle’s Criminal Investigation Department.
The statement reads: “The Criminal Investigation Department from Triangle received an anonymous letter indicating that the accused persons had included their children in the Basic Education Assistance Module (BEAM) programme without following due procedure. Investigations were conducted, leading to the arrest of the accused persons. The accused each benefited USD 120 for the year 2022 as a result of the offense.”
The two were both convicted and sentenced to 20 months imprisonment, with 6 months suspended for 5 years.
An additional 2 months were suspended on the condition that the accused persons pay restitution to the Social Services Department.
The remaining 12 months were suspended on the condition that the accused persons complete 420 hours of community service.