The Coordinator for the Free Quality School Education (FQSE), Amara Sowa, said school subsidies per term have risen from Le 30.1 to Le 60 billion in the last term.
He said over the past four years, some of the subsidies have not been going for the purpose the money is meant for, for which the ministry is urging school authorities to judiciously use the subsidies.
at a stakeholder meeting on the guidelines for school approval and use of school subsidies, organized by the Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education (MBSSE), in Freetown. Participants were representatives from the Teaching Service Commission, Paramount Chiefs, Parliamentarians, Local Council authorities, the Sierra Leone Police, and the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).
The Coordinator for the Free Quality School Education (FQSE), Amara Sowa, said after the engagement, it is expected that school authorities will not have an excuse for the misuse of school subsidies. Against that backdrop, they invited the ACC, Audit Service Sierra Leone, Ministry of Finance, and the Sierra Leone Police, as partners in the rollout of the guidelines.
The Director of Planning and Policy in the Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education, Adama Momoh, alleged that some schools have been using almost all the subsidies to give allowances to board members and pay teachers who are not on the payroll.
She expressed frustration at how schools project a high number of pupils all in the name of receiving more subsidies when in reality the number is less than what they might have presented.
The Deputy Minister in the Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education, Emily K. Gogra, calls on Sierra Leoneans to prioritize the education of their children. She encourages parents and wards to regularly visit the schools of their children. This, according to her, will increase the relationship between them and the teachers and as well increase learning outcomes.
She commended stakeholders at the conference for gains made in the educational sector so far and called on them to keep working hard.
The School Approval Guideline captures two levels of approval that authorize the operation of schools in the country as a standard legal requirement for all schools. According to the guides, this is the only means through which schools can be eligible to receive financial support.
Commenti