By Prince J Musa in Kenema
Lecturers of Eastern Polytechnic in Kenema have vowed to continue with their ongoing strike action until government addresses their demand for a review of their pay structure. The lecturers have been on strike since the 27th of July this year.
President of the Senior Staff Association of the institution, Joe Diawo, told Politico that their salaries were supposed to be reviewed every three years, but that the last review was done in 2016.
“According to the Polytechnic Act, the conditions of service of lecturers should be reviewed every three years. The last review was done in 2016 and that document expired on the 31 December 2018,” Diawo said.
“We were expecting new document on the 1st of January 2019. Up to date nothing has been said about our conditions of service,” Diawo said on Thursday, 22nd August.
Diawo said a meeting was held among all three polytechnic colleges in the country to draw up and harmonize a new document reflecting the current circumstances.
“Milton Margai Teachers College, Freetown Teachers College and Eastern Polytechnic did our own assignment on the document. We have presented the document for 2019 to 2021 and handed over to the various college administrations which they in turn submitted to the Polytechnic Council” he added.
Expressing his frustration, Diawo said the document has also been submitted to the Tertiary Education Commission and the Ministry of Technical and Higher Education.
“As we talk nothing has come out of the ministry of technical and higher education,” he said, adding: “it look as if we are not important as nobody is talking to us.”
Lecturers in the college went on strike last December. Diawo said they were talked out of that strike action with “bogus” promises by the administration and the government.
Polytechnic colleges across the country have also ramped up their campaign for university status since last year, something which government officials, including the Chief Minister, Professor David Francis, has said will come to fruition at the right time.
The strike action by lecturers is already having a severe impact on the academic calendar which has already been thrown into chaos as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
A final year student at the Eastern Polytechnic in Kenema, Mohamed Haruna, said: “we are frustrated over the situation. Lecturers are not teaching us. COVID has affected our educational calendar and the strike action is hitting us seriously.”
“Let government realize that their flagship program is education and they should not play with it,” Haruna added.
Another student, Abibatu Kallon, said they now have to spend extra money to attend extra classes organized by “sympathetic” lecturers.
“Lecturers who sympathize with us do call classes and tell us where to attend, and it’s not free of cost,” she said.
Copyright © 2020 Politico Online
