By Abdulai Fasineh Dumbuya
The Minister of Basic and Senior Secondary Education (MBSSE) Conrad Sackey has asserted that the ministry will increase female teachers’ recruitment to 30% in the country.
He made this disclosure whilst updating the media on their activities at the Ministry of Information and Civic Education's Weekly Press Conference held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation on the 12th of September 2023.
Speaking on the issue of gender and other disparities, he said there are currently 27% female teachers across the country, and that the ministry is looking forward to increasing that to the minimum 30%.
"This is something we are working on because we strongly believe that with this increase of female teachers in the educational sector, there is the conviction that they will definitely help retain as well as educate the girl-child in the country," he said.
He said the ministry will ensure learning of sign language is effective in schools for disabled children as the practice in other parts of the world has eased education for physically- challenged children.
He assured that the government will still maintain 22% of the country’s budgetary allocation to education, thereby enhancing its flagship Free Quality Education Programme.
The minister also spoke about the recruitment of 3,000 (three thousand) teachers over the past year into the system. Asked whether the West Africa Senior School Certificate Examination WASSCE will be available this week, he said that they are currently pressuring West Africa Examination Council WAEC to release the results but at the same time ensuring that they do quality work.
He went on to say that WASSCE results will be released shortly mindful of the fact that some pupils are waiting to be enrolled in universities for this academic year.
He added that the Basic Education Certificate Examination BECE will be released by the end of September 2023 and that the ministry is entirely committed to seeing that the WACE meets the deadline as promised.
Part of the functions of the MBSSE is executed by three components namely, the Teaching Service Commission TSC – responsible for the management of teachers, the WAEC – in charge of conducting exams, and the Sierra Leone Library Board – the principal advisor to the government on library policy and information issues.
Copyright © 2023 Politico (15/09/23)
