October 7, 2021
By Aruna Kamara (BO)
The Regional Convener of Civil Society in the Southern Region, Mustapha Kpaka has spoken tough against some board members and Proprietors of Schools in Bo District usurping the powers of the substantive principal of school been approved by the Education Ministry.
He made this statement at the handing over ceremony of office by the outgoing Bo district Deputy Director of Education, Joseph M.B Sesay to the incoming Deputy Director of Education at a ceremony held at the Queen of the Rosary, Secondary Schools in Bo on 4th October.
Mr. Kpaka said chairmen or proprietors becoming principals of government assisted schools is a serious concern that should be looked into by the incoming deputy director of education and promised that they will follow on this to identify schools being headed by a board chairman or proprietor.
Mr. Kpaka said that there is too much interference of proprietors and board members into the running of the school, and this is not yielding a positive learning outcome, adding that he heard about a proprietor who slapped a principal in Bo.
He noted that the new Bo deputy director of education should look into the problem at Sambagins International Academy, where the Proprietor of the School has asked for his school to become private school again, without the knowledge of the parents.
The outgoing Deputy Director of Education, Mr. Sesay informed his successor about the action of the Proprietor of Sambagins and asked that pin coded teachers should be withdrawn from the school including the learning materials supplied to the school.
He said that he gave instruction to the pin coded teachers deployed at the School to go to government and government assisted schools to teach but they are still in the school teaching.
The Regional Coordinator of the Basic Education Commission in the Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education in the Southern Region, Hassan Bangura also called on the new Deputy Director of Education in Bo District to look into the issue of Proprietors and Board members becoming principals of School and the problems at Sambagins School should also be looked into.
Some of the Principals who declined to be named whose powers are usurped by proprietors and Board members called on the new deputy director of education to speedily look into their plight as it requires urgent attention.