Strengthening Systems of Good Governance and the Fight against Corruption 385. The performance of the PSR programme, in so far as good governance and the fight against corruption are concerned, is appraised severally under Objective 6 in this chapter and Objectives 3 and 4 in the fourth chapter of this report. 386. Although wide-ranging, the nature of many of the reforms reflects how degraded the system of public administration has become. The massive destruction of the country’s infrastructure is without a doubt the result of the many years of war that Mozambique experienced. Consequently, the government has had to begin rebuilding the administrative institutions from scratch, block upon mortar, one at a time, and literally from the ground up. The government’s commitment, together with the sympathy and assistance of donors, is making an impact that is already reflected in the signs of improvement in service delivery and in the enhanced capacity of public servants. 387. Challenges persist, however. The first is the generally low level of educational attainment, as a result of which there is a shortage of highly skilled manpower. Total enrolment in institutions of higher education in Mozambique was reported to be 11 600 in 1999, while only 483 graduated in 1998.26 With this level of output from the higher education system, it is clear that it will be difficult to find locals to fill many vital vacancies in the public service in the near future. 388. Recruitment into the public service is not merit based, despite the need for quality recruits and for all available local expertise to be harnessed to the task of nation building. Party affiliation, nepotism and cronyism predominate in recruitment into the public service. It is estimated that the proportion of public servants recruited on the basis of merit is as low as 13 per cent. 27 389. Motivation in the public sector is adversely affected by poor remuneration of civil servants, not just in comparison with the remuneration paid by international agencies, but also in relation to the cost of living. Transportation, housing, electricity and water rates take a high proportion of the incomes of low-income earners. The public sector is still characterised by weak planning processes, poor management of human resources, and a weak financial management system that permits laxity, as well as diversion of the budget for other purposes. 26 United Nations (UN). 2004. Republic of Mozambique: Public Administration Country Profile. Division for Public Administration and Development Management (DPADM) and the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), page 11. 27 UN (2004:10) 138 A P R M COU N T RY R EV IEW R EP ORT NO. 11