By Mabinty M. Kamara
The Minister of Basic and Senior Secondary Education (MBSSE), Dr. Moinina David Sengeh, on Monday made a case for teachers in Sierra Leone to be reassessed so that they get the deserved remuneration.
Sengeh made this call at the signing ceremony of the Multi-Donor Trust Fund for the government’s flagship Free Quality Education programme. That event at State House happened to coincide with this year’s World Teachers Day.
“Speaking of teachers, I will be remiss if I do not make this plea to you,” the minister said, addressing President Julius Maada Bio, who presided over the event.
“I have gone to every region in this country and as a minister, I have spoken to teachers everywhere. I hear the same challenges. They want to be reassessed and they want to be put on the right salary scale. So as their advocate and intermediary to the government, and today being World Teachers Day, I would like to add to their pleas and join them and ask you for consideration for their reassessment,” he added.
The pooled funding mechanism, which will be administered by the World Bank, is a five year project worth USD 66million with critical components geared towards strengthening education policy, infrastructure and the general learning process.
The Trust Fund is supported by the World Bank with a total funding of USD50million, the European Union with a total support of 13million euros, and the government of Ireland through the Irish Aid, with a total sum of 5million euros, as well as the government of the United Kingdom which is providing 2 million pound sterling.
Dr. Sengeh said that working towards galvanizing partners and resource mobilization was a priority on his agenda to be executed within his first year of office. He noted that part of his deliverables was to restructure the ministry such that it could absorb resources, engage partners and deliver education services across the country.
Speaking at the event, Tom Vens, Head of Delegation of the European Union to Sierra Leone, said that access to quality education is a key driver for sustainable development, noting that the EU was committed to supporting education globally as long as the investments were guarded against corruption.
“Today, we are here to give an extra boost to this ambition. To succeed, we need several ingredients, we need leadership and real commitment at the top, which we have. We need one agenda, we need discipline and the pursuit for value for money in the delivery of that plan, and we need partnership,” he said.
Mr Vens added: “The EU’s investment goes back many years, including more than US$30 million, just in the last years. A contribution of 13 million euros to the trust fund is the logical next step. We are making this commitment on the premise that this is the government flagship, and the shared understanding that minimizing wastage and corruption will not be tolerated. They are the antidotes for progress.”
The EU chief in Sierra Leone also called for the needed support for teachers to ensure quality.
“We are making this commitment on the premise that investment in education is only meaningful if the focus is on quality and output, and supported by strong systems approach,” he said.
“We are making this commitment while embracing the notion of radical inclusion with a strong focus on the most vulnerable: the girls, disables, the poorest, the disadvantaged and the stigmatized. Today we also mark the world teacher’s day and this year’s choosing team is inspiring: ‘Teachers leading in crisis reimagining the future.’ More than ever, we must support teachers to attain the global education target of leaving no one behind and protecting the fundamental rights of education for all,” he added.
The World Bank Country Manager, Gayle H. Martin, said that the Bank is committed to supporting education in the country, noting that it was key to national development.
“Education is the single-most important determinant of economic mobility, and the importance of investing in education cannot be over-emphasized,” he said, adding: “The World Bank congratulates the efforts of the Government of Sierra Leone—under the leadership of President Bio—in placing education, and human capital development, more generally, at the center of the national development agenda, as articulated in the National Development Plan, and also as reflected in budget allocations since 2018, under challenging macro fiscal conditions.”
Responding to the call for the reassessment of teachers, President Bio noted that his government takes seriously the issues of teachers.
“We believe that teachers, who have invested in their own career development or up scaling themselves through certified professional development curses, should be paid at the right grade. The last government failed over 11 years to pay teachers the right level. Senior teachers and heads of schools who were promoted received salaries at the wrong grade. That was unjust and unfair to teachers. My government not only encourages teachers to undertake professional development, but we reward teachers for doing so. I therefore instruct the sector ministries to look into all reassessment cases as was requested by the Minister,” he said.
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