A teacher of the Islamic Secondary School in Kenema, Usman M. Ceesay, has called on his colleagues in the east to rebel against the Sierra Leone Teachers’ Union (SLTU) because of the union’s poor performance.
He made this appeal at the Holy Trinity Parish hall during the first official visit of the president of the Sierra Leone Teachers’ Union (SLTU), Abdulai Koroma.
Mr Ceesay explained that since the president came to power that was the first time he had paid them a visit.
He said during the time Alpha Timbo was SLTU’s secretary general, that was the time the union’s executive in the east was frequently meeting with its membership fortnightly; explaining to them the executive’s activities for the past month and telling them the financial position of the executive.
Mr Ceesay said in 1992 when computer was not in widespread use there the Union ID cards that were prepared were more standard than the current ones prepared by the union.
After listening to Mr Ceesay’s complaints, the SLTU president Abdulai Koroma apologized to his membership in the east for not meeting them before now, saying that it was due to the national assignment he was performing on behalf of them all.
“My family is here why do I have to abandon Kenema for a very long time,” he stated and told them that the condition of teachers was paramount to him and encouraged principals and head teachers to clean up their vouchers of ghost teachers to allow the government deliver quality services in the educational sector.
Mr Koroma said, “the government has assured the union of efforts to improve the conditions of service of teachers”, but added that such objective could be difficult to achieve if corruption persisted in the education sector.
He revealed that, “the SLTU has already held some discussions with the Education ministry on the payment of school subsidies and assured school heads that the ministry had confirmed that first and second term subsidies would be paid soon.
The SLTU president said the ministry was ready to honour the subsidies because, according to them, education and agriculture were their utmost priority.
The deputy Director of Education East (DDE), John Amara Swaray, told his membership that the attainment of the Education for All (EFA) by 2015 depended on a number of factors like the provision of teaching and learning materials and provision of equal opportunities for children to realize their potentials, and above all the condition of service for teachers must be improved.
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