By: Ilyasa Baa
The salaries of teachers in government pay roll will be increased by 15% effective this January whilst 11% of qualified teachers have been put on the payroll since 2018.
According to teachers this medium spoke with in Bombali District, the increment is a demonstration of government’s commitment to making the lives of teachers much better than before. Teachers in the Western Rural District have also welcomed the increment as a big boost considering the economic hardship countries are faced with.
Abu Bakarr Sesay, a primary school teacher said with the little increment, he can now foot more bills to make his home happy. He said the move is timely as it would add to happiness and take care of the bread and butter issue.
The relationship between the Sierra Leone Teachers Union (SLTU) and the Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education has been cordial, according to the Public Relations Officer of the Ministry, Bami Anthony. He said instead of three streams, there will soon be five streams namely; Science and Technology, Languages and literature, Business and entrepreneurship, Mathematics and numeracy, and fifthly, socio cultural studies which deals with art and craft and performing arts.
The Ministry joined the world at the Brima Atouga Stadium to commemorate International Education Day which is observed on 24th January every year, with this one being the fifth edition.
The fifth International Day of Education was celebrated on 24thJanuary 2023 under the theme “to invest in people, prioritize education”.
Building on the global momentum generated by the UN Transforming Education Summit in September 2022, this year’s Day called for maintaining strong political mobilization around education and chart the way forward to translate commitments and global initiatives into action. Education must be prioritized to accelerate progress towards all the Sustainable Development Goals against the backdrop of a global recession, growing inequalities and the climate crisis.
UNESCO is dedicating this year’s International Day to girls and women in Afghanistan who have been deprived of their right to education. It is calling for the immediate lifting of the ban restricting their access to education.