ABOUT 700 teachers in Limpopo have been ordered to explain why they failed to declare their business interests to their employer.

This comes after investigations by the department allegedly found that they had been doing business with government departments but never declared their interests as required.

The department said teachers had benefited from millions of rands in contracts from schools and the department.

In a bid to uncover possible corruption and secret business operations, the department has instituted disciplinary proceedings against the teachers for failure to declare their businesses.

Investigations found that some teachers were supplying stationery to government departments and schools.

Provincial department of education spokesperson Ndo Mangala confirmed that letters had been sent to department employee s to advise them of the legal steps in terms of government procedure for their failure to declare their business interests.

Mangala said it was not wrong for public servants to do business with the government "but it's a problem when they do not declare their interests".