By Mohamed T. Massaquoi
All 272 primary schools in Pujehun district have, effective today Tuesday 1 October, shut down indefinitely, according to the spokesman of the aggrieved head teachers.
Thomas Musa Conteh said this was in reaction to the “deliberate refusal” by the district council to pay their school fee subsidies for 1st and 2nd terms of the 2012 and 2013 academic year.
Conteh, who is also the chairman of health teachers’ council in Pujehun district, told Politico that 16 other primary schools were also denied their 3rd term subsidy for 2011. He said that a letter of complaint had been written to the district Deputy Director of Education, copied to the Anti-Corruption Commission on the matter.
He said that the ACC held a held on the 19th September this year with the district council also attended by representatives from the health teachers’ council with a promise that all subsidies would be paid by 30 September which he said had not been effected as at the deadline. He vowed that the schools would not reopen until complete payment was made.
One of the affected parents, Patrick S Alpha condemned the action of the district council, calling it a disappointment to parents after a long vacation. He called on the authorities concerned to immediately help resolve the "problem so our children can resume learning”.
He craved the indulgence of residents of Pujehun to “beware of Tuesday” which he said was becoming “an ominous day in Pujehun". He cited the gang rape of a woman leading to her death, the fracas between the police and bike riders which disrupted the peace of the town and the strike starting today on a Tuesday.
Alpha also pleaded to teachers to rethink their strike action which he said would undermine education in the district.
Responding, the Chairman of the District Council, Sadiq Sillah said that the finance ministry paid the school fee subsidies in July but only reflected in the council’s special account in August. He said they did not disburse the money into the schools’ accounts because it was the holiday and they were also concerned about the safety of the money.
He said that since it was costing council a lot of money to distribute teaching and learning materials they had decided that head teachers should come to Pujehun town once and for all to collect their subsidies and distribute their school materials as that was costing them a lot of money.
Speaking to Politico from Freetown, Sadiq said that he instructed the District Director of Education to take the necessary action which he alleged was not done. He said that he made a complaint against the education director to the ministry in Freetown.
He however assured that verification had been done yesterday and that payment would be made today, Tuesday to ward off any shutdown of schools.
However the angry head teachers told Politico in Pujehun that no verification happened yesterday because the council authorities demanded that they should bring their School Management Board Chairmen which they objected to, saying that the Monitoring and Evaluation department of the council should do their job by visiting the schools to verify their claim.
One head teachers said that payment for those board chairmen would have to be incurred by the schools, money he said they did not have.
On the 16 schools owed since 2011, the district council chairman said that was due to some omission which he said would be corrected.
(C) Politico 01/10/13
