Justicia Shipena
The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has uncovered an alleged education fraud scheme involving two senior officials from the directorate of education, arts and culture in the Erongo region.
Deputy director for programmes and quality assurance, Natalia Guriras and administrative officer Betty Somses were arrested on Wednesday.
The duo employed by the Ministry of Education Innovation Youth Sport Arts and Culture have been charged with corruption are linked to the illegal admission of a staff member into a University of Namibia (Unam) teacher training programme.
According to the ACC, the arrests follow an investigation into false information allegedly submitted to Unam to secure Somses’s enrolment in the Diploma in Junior Primary Education (DJPE INSET) programme.
The programme, funded by the Ministry of Education Innovation Youth Sport Arts and Culture, is specifically designed for unqualified teachers already teaching in classrooms.
ACC said investigators found that Somses was enrolled even though she was not a teacher.
The commission said documents submitted to Unam falsely stated that she worked at Daleen Pre-Primary School, a school that does not exist anywhere in the Erongo region.
“The directorate is alleged to have provided false information to Unam to facilitate the enrolment of an administrative officer in a programme meant exclusively for unqualified teachers,” said ACC interim spokesperson Marina Matundu.
Evidence gathered by the ACC suggests that Guriras, as a senior directorate official, allegedly played a key role in authorising or endorsing the falsified documents that misrepresented Somses as a teacher.
The commission believes this was done to enable her admission into the programme, which provides state-funded training and salary benefits intended for teachers already serving in classrooms.
Guriras faces charges under section 43(1) of the Anti-Corruption Act, 2003, for corruptly using her office or position for gratification.
Somses is charged under section 35(3)(b) of the same act for providing false information to a public body.
Both were taken into custody and later released on N$10 000 bail each at the Walvis Bay Magistrate’s Court, and the case was postponed to 24 August 2026 for plea and trial.
Matundu said the ACC is committed to promoting integrity and accountability across public institutions.
She said corruption continues to weaken governance and service delivery, adding that ACC remains determined to investigate and ensure that all those implicated in corrupt practices face the law.
