The success of any educational reform and it's execution depends squarely on the teachers.
The government of Sierra Leone has introduced Free Primary and Secondary education for all. This is a laudable and bold venture that requires commendation. However, the condition of service of teachers is the worst in the country. My question here is, how can you expect a teacher to deliver quality education when he/she is treated as a jester?
The President cleverly stated that the greatest development any country can take pleasure in is the development of the human resource base. This brings the most sustainable development possible and also increase the per capita income of the country.
Small countries like Taiwan, Singapore and Hongkong have experienced sustainable development and growth because of their highly developed and educated human resources. But to make these landmarks possible, they governments of these countries took the instructors( Teachers) very seriously by increasing their salaries and improving their conditions of service. Today, even though these countries are small in size, they are very important global players in the world economy.
In Sierra Leone, it is just the opposite. Instead of increasing the salaries and improving the conditions of service of teachers, they are actually being humiliated, ridiculed and blamed for all the mishaps in the academic realm.
With the advent of the Free Education, the pressure and monitoring of teachers have heightened, yet their living condition and salaries are tantamount to criminal wages. This hypocrisy has not changed. It has to be discouraged if we should succeed. We want good medical doctors, but who taught them? Teachers! We want vibrant politicians and parliamentarians, but who taught them? Teachers! We want effective workers in our civil services, our Ministries, Departments and Agencies, but who taught them? Teachers! We want diligent workers in our financial institutions, but who taught them? Teachers! A parliamentarian with only an Ordinary Level Certificate or West African Senior School Certificate gets a monthly salary of 20,000,000 (Twenty million Leones) whilst a teacher with a bachelor and Master's degree in education receives 1,200,000( One million two hundred Leones). What an insult! Yet we say we want a quality education.
The parliamentarians are advocating for an increase of their salaries from 20,000,000(Twenty million Leones) to 37,000,000(Thirty seven million Leones). I am pretty sure that their salaries would be increased substantially to the ranges between 23,000,000 - 25,000,000 Leones. Unfortunately, come January, only 75,000 Leones would be added to the salaries of senior teachers bring it to the sum of 1,275,000. Teachers with first degree but are not senior teachers will have 50,000 Leones added to their salaries bringing it to the sum of 1,140,000. Teachers with H. T. C will receive 40,000 Leones added to their salaries which amount to the region of 1,020,000. This wage structure is criminal and does not favour the success of the Free Education program.
If this our government which highlighted Free quality Education as its flagship program cannot treat the most important components (Teachers) of this program seriously , I really don't know how they want to succeed.
The 5% increment announced for teachers today is the smallest ever for teachers in modern day Sierra Leone. Even the previous government notoriously known for their anti education stance never condescended to such low by giving teachers a 5% increments. So how can our own government do such a thing? Why didn't they carry out a survey in neighbouring countries that are performing well in the realm of academia to know how much their teachers are paid so that they can juxtapose similar wage structure here?
I was highly excited about the much talk about teacher's package, but unfortunately, it turns out to be a joke and a complete garbage. Teachers are the poorest government workers in this country and this won't change so soon. Their lives and status have once again the made the laughing stock of the working class.
Oh Salone! Being a teacher here is the worst punishment one can imagine anywhere in the world.
Too bad no one seeks the interest of teachers. This country needs sound minds in sound bodies. And only teachers and doctors can make that happen. Yet teachers still wallow in poverty. What a shame!
What a big slap in our face!
@ dcectv3@gmail.com
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