Why administrative expenditure is high

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(China Daily)
Updated: 2009-09-18 08:38

The educational reform in Jiaxian county, Henan province, has exposed 252 teachers who furnished false information about their age to get relatively high payment after early retirement. Such people add to the already high expenditure on administration, says an article in Qilu Evening News. Excerpt:

Many cadres in government offices retire at will while getting regular salaries. Strange still, some four-year-old children and imprisoned corrupt officials are also being paid salaries. That's why it did not come as surprise when 252 teachers in Jiaxian county of Henan province were found to have provided false proof of their age so that they could retire early and still get a high pay.

Some of the guilty have struck deals behind closed doors, while others, like the 252 teachers, have been swindling government money by furnishing false personal information.

According to a Jiaxian education bureau official, the county has about 5,000 teachers, that is 800 more than needed. And the county government has to bear the load of paying their salaries. This is said to be a financial "compromise" for streamlining educational institutions.

But figures released on the Jiaxian government website shows 7,345, and not 5,000, teachers are employed in the county's schools. So how many teachers are there, 5,000 or 7,345? Is it because the retired are not counted? How can one decide who among them will retire early?

Or do latent rules play a role in such manipulations? It is difficult to answer these questions. The story shows why China's administrative expenditure is so high. Apart from paying for expensive entertainment, lavish trips and luxury cars, public funds also flow into the pockets of fraudsters.

(China Daily 09/18/2009 page9)