By Omar Bihmidine
Morocco World News
Sidi Ifni, Morocco, April 16, 2013
The issue of ghost employees is not new to the Ministry of Education. The matter however has sparked public outrage recently after the Minister of Education, Mohamed El Ouafa, disclosed an extensive list of ghost state employees.
According to the Ministry, the list comprises 588 employees, the majority of which are teachers. According to the Ministry, the purpose of the disclosure of this was to set work as an indispensable condition for receiving a salary.
"I strongly oppose absenteeism and we are underway to put an end to the spread of this phenomenon," declared Mohamed El Ouafa at the latest parliament session.
In response, civil society have called on El Ouafa to reclaim the undeservedly earned salaries.
In 2012, Abdelilah Benkirane, head of the government, issued a circular warning against absenteeism in the workplace. "We must be strict with ghost employees and those who play truant at state institutions," affirmed Abdelilah Benkirane.
In an attempt to fight absenteeism, the Ministry has issued 'lists of presence' at the end of every year and circulated them among state institutions.
According to the Moroccan Network for Protecting Public Funds, the number of ghost employees is estimated at 84,000.
"The Moroccan government must hasten to combat the spread of idleness among officials and employees of the state," members of the civil society stressed.
In this vein, the civil society has called on the government to put an end to the phenomenon and to set strict conditions in the process.
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