The Education Department of the East Kazakhstan Region conducted an official investigation into violations committed by employees of one of the district schools during public procurement, specifically the disclosure of employees' personal information.
To remind, we previously reported that one of the schools entered into a public procurement contract for staff medical examination services, publishing a list of all employees of the institution, along with their full personal data, in the "technical specification" section.
In addition to the school failing to specify the standard requirements for the medical examination in the document, the winner of the tender was a local entrepreneur specialising in activities related to catering.
In this regard, the editorial board of FBRK sent an official request to the Education Department of the East Kazakhstan Region, asking them to conduct a detailed review and resolve the irregular situation. We also requested an assessment of the supplier's competence and asked what punishment is stipulated for those responsible for the data leak.
The department confirmed the violations committed by the school regarding the inclusion of employees' personal data in the technical specification. Furthermore, as a result of the internal investigation, the department found that the supplier indeed has no connection to medical services.
"To take financial corrective measures, the department sent a letter to the Department of Internal State Audit for the East Kazakhstan Region. Disciplinary measures have been applied against the school's head teacher and chief accountant for the violations committed," the department's response states.
It is worth noting that despite the substantiated violations by the state institution, the personal data of the school's employees are, for some reason, still publicly accessible on the public procurement website.
What punishment in the form of "disciplinary measures" against the school's head teacher and chief accountant entails remains a mystery. It is likely that the officials simply received a reprimand from the Education Department.
The editorial board of FBRK has sent an official request to the Department of Internal State Audit of the East Kazakhstan Region to find out what conclusion the agency will reach regarding the violations in the state institution. We hope that the employees of this state body will sort out the situation and punish those responsible in accordance with the law.