The Diary of Sierra Leone’s new Basic Education Minister

A Departmental Walkthrough by the Minister of Basic & Secondary Education

Friday, November 22^nd, 2019

On November 22^nd 2019, the Minister [Dr Moinina David Sengeh] visited every departmental unit/building within the Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education (MBSSE). The Minister was accompanied by senior staff of the Ministry including Mr Kallon and Mr Sei. The following conclusions were made by the Minister either in conversation with staff or by direct observation.

Poor staff attendance: About half of all senior management were not at their desks between 10:40am and 12:30pm. In addition to the Permanent Secretary (who asked for permission to travel that morning), and the head of Human Resources, there were entire teams that were absent from their units including Informal Learning. It also was apparent that many senior technical leaderships were out of the country/office at the same time (e.g Director of Policy in South Africa and Head of FQSE in Liberia) and there isn’t a singular strategy on staff travel activity.
Unmotivated staff: In nearly every office, staff sat idly – not doing work. Staff were watching Nigerian movies in the Basic Education unit and others sat with no work on their desk in the Data Unit. In the situation room, several machines were off and current raw data was not immediately available when requested. Several staff inferred that they were not enabled to be productive by their leaders.
Broken assets: There were several broken assets (both technology and other assets) in nearly every office/unit. In the data room, several computers removed from the server room were laying on the floor. Abandoned printers and scanners were seen around the Ministry in addition to other assets.
Filthy common and private areas: There were thrash in every hallway in the Ministry containing broken and abandoned couches, cupboards, and other content. Several broken and abandoned vehicles are seen in the compound. The back of the Ministry building is filled with plastic bottles/bags and trash. The ministry is unhealthy.
Poor sanitation and poor toilets: The toilets in the Ministry are absolutely unusable and deplorable. Staff, particularly women, do not drink water because they don’t want to use the bathroom. This affects productivity, health and human dignity.
Lack of systems: There is a lack of systems within the Ministry. No one seems to know what to do and how to do what they must do. There are no known SOPs for communication; staff are not aware of how to implement projects and do not use the data of the Ministry. The Situation Room, M&E and Data Units all work in silos outside of the FQSE implementation.
Funding and consultants: There are several office spaces for consultants but not for staff; resources are underutilized across the board; Project Implementation Units do not collaborate and there are little structures for oversight across outputs.
Redundant units: There are several departments/units that seem to be redundant or duplicative within the ministry. Furthermore, not more than one senior staff had visited the Science and Technology Secretariat. No one I spoke to had visited them more than once or in the last year. I visited the Secretariat and it can best be described as an abandoned space. No staff were present, and the main entrance door was completely bolted with padlocks during working hours.
Library and Resources: Staff speak Krio mindlessly in the office, there is no resource library and staff do not have access to (haven’t read) policy documents of MBSSE.

While there are other important observations to discuss, the above require immediate action from the Leadership with clear results reported within a 2-week period. If the Ministry cannot solve these issues, it can’t lead a transformation in education.

Poor staff attendance:
- Request a staff attendance/participation analysis for the last 3 months (HR)
- A staff travel (out of country and out of Freetown) report for the last 2 years (Admin)
- Develop a policy on staff travel (shared calendar, responsibilities, methods) (Admin)
Unmotivated staff:
- Staff units must present 1 month and 3-month work plans with SMART Goals (Heads)
- Staff assessment for identifying capacity building priorities (Heads)
Broken assets:
- Asset stock take (devices, vehicles, and large furniture) and clear broken through appropriate methods (Procurement, Accounts, PS)
Filthy common and private areas:
- Clean all hallways and compound (Admin)
- Create gardens and plant flowers across compound (Admin)
Poor sanitation and Unusable toilets:
- Renovate ALL toilets in the Ministry immediately! Train staff on use of toilets
- Ensure water supply and a regular twice a day cleaning
Lack of systems:
- Develop SOPs for Communications and other essential functions of the Ministry.
Funding and consultants:
- Report on all existing projects (amounts, targets, outputs, staff etc)
- Re-prioritize seating spaces within Ministry
Redundant units:
- Stock-take and review functionality of each unit. Prepare for overhaul of Ministry and restructuring (CEO)
Library and Resources:
- Develop clear policies around language use. Only English to be spoken on campus.
- A resource library (physical and digital) to be created