News

Minkailu Bah, Minister of Education

By Fasalie Sulaiman Kamara

An analysis by the West Africa Examination Council of this year’s results for the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) shows that figures for 2013 decreased by 8.26% over last year’s figure of 82,907.

The Sierra Leone Association of Journalists (SLAJ) has reacted to a press release issued by the Sierra Leone Bar Association over "some of the conduct of the members of the media profession" which it says hinges on "breaches of professional and ethical standards of media practice and fall foul of existing laws of general application in Sierra Leone and derogate from international standards of journalism."

By Crispina Lois Cummings

Parliament on Tuesday amended Section 79 of the country's constitution by passing into law the bill entitled Constitution of Sierra Leone Amendment Act 2013. This effectively means that the next Speaker does not necessarily have to be someone with a legal background.

In the absence of the current Speaker, Justice Abel Stronge for which no reasons were given, the bill was presented to the House by Deputy Minister of  Justice, Arrow Bockarie, and presided over by deputy speaker Chernor Maju Bah, MP.

By Aminata Phidelia Allie

Indicted staff of the National Revenue Authority (NRA), the Sierra National Shipping Company (SLNSC) and Ecobank Sierra Leone will spend their Christmas holiday in prison following an adjournment of their matter to 23 December.

The new date was set Tuesday 20 November by Justice M. A. Paul of the Freetown High Court after the defense lawyer had closed his case.

It followed an agreement by prosecution to submit a written submission on 13 December so the defense lawyers will reply a week later.

By Kenneth Thompson

A delegation from the British Railway Museum is in Freetown on a visit to the Sierra Leone Railway Museum with the object to “restore the museum and to digitise it.”

By Steven Bockarie

The Sierra Leone National Advocacy Coalition on Extractives (NACE) is on afive-day training civil society organisations this week in Makeni, on natural resource governance. The week-long training which is supported by the Dutch NGO, Ibis, is a training of trainers programme targeting mining districts in Sierra Leone.

The lead trainer, Bishop Akolgo from Ghana said the trainees were expected to go back after the training and work with policy makers, local councils and the chiefdom authorities on the cost and benefits of mining.

By Septimus Senessie in Kono.

Two health workers attached to the newly rehabilitated Basic Emergency Obstetric and Neonatal Care Center (BEMOC) in Kono District have criticised the facilities describing them as “a waste of donor resources.”

Florence Jattu Lansana, a mid-wife at BEMOC, Kombayendeh in Lei Chiefdom and Albert Ngomba, a community health nurse at Kayima Town, Sandor Chiefdom said the facilities were substandard.