By: Amadu Wurie Timbo
The Acting Head Teacher at Royal Academy Primary School, Robine community in Makeni Municipality Abdul Dauda Kamara has desperately called on Government to provide school support to his community school.
He made this statement after serving nearly half a decade without receiving school subsidies in a school that has been approved by the Sierra Leone Government through the Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary School.
According to him, the school was earlier established as a community school in 2018, with inspiring supports from Mr. Alhaji Unisa Kuyateh, the Proprietor who had been actively providing stipends to volunteer teachers with fair supply of both Teaching and Learning materials.
He noted that school was later approved in 2019, an event that manifested the end of support from the School Proprietor who believed that Government funding is fair enough for the day-to-day running of the school.
But unfortunately, all appeared as irony towards the process, whereas challenges have battled-down some good efforts of the school administration, following Government disappointment in providing subsidise and approval for teachers serving in the school.
He further revealed that due to delay of government to address the school subsidies arrears, it has become very difficult to administer the day today running of the school and as result he therefore plead for community support both financial and material in order to address the immediate need of the children.
He reiterated that “Six of my teachers who are trained and qualified with three years merited Teacher’s Certificates (TC) are yet to be approved by Government in their four (4) years classroom services in the school.
We have done all we could to get them approval, but to no avail as the situation remains difficult.
Sometimes I have to take from my little salary to buy classroom materials and either pleased those volunteer teachers.”
He emphasised; it is pity to see devoted workers serving nearly half a decade without salary. He pointed out that; sometimes they become stubborn to follow rules in carrying out responsibilities, which is a common practise of any bankrupted person.
However, he called on government to come to their aid in order to provide all needed in actualizing the Free and Quality Education in his school.
Madam Mabinty Kalokoh is one of the unpaid teachers who have diligently served the school since it was established in 2018.
She disclosed that, she has been serving solely as a volunteer teacher since she graduated with Teacher’s Certificate (TC), but has never received any pay from Government as she is single parent. Stating out that “I went to college because I believed after graduating. my certificate would have paid me through my service in the class room.
But unbelievably, life becomes more difficult for me and my children despite the serving government assiduously in my teaching profession yet government does not seem recognizing that service of mine. It is indeed frustrating as it kills passion of hardworking persons!” Madam Kalokoh expressed.
She, therefore, called on Government to consider her and colleague teachers through the Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Schools for approval- a step that will earn them better Livelihood conditions.
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