By Bob Batilo Saffa
Following weeks of investigation, Politico has unearthed an apparent syndicate in the education system involving the Kenema District Council and some unascertained individuals and institutions. Our investigations show that at least twelve fake schools exist under the National Islamic Primary School Mission in the district. After a visit to many of the communities where the schools are said to exist, without a trace, Politico contacted the Mission. The Education Secretary of the mission in Kenema confirmed that the said schools had never existed. Mannah Lahai said that his mission had no knowledge of them or the government subsidies they had been receiving. Lahai said that he had written a protest letter to the authorities concerned denying any knowledge of the 12 schools and distancing his mission from them and the subsidy payments made to them in the 2011/2012 school year. Of that money, our records show that Le 37 Million was paid in March of this year alone as backlog for last year. The District Council Chairman, Dr Senesie Mansaray acknowledged receipt of the said protest letter from the National Islamic Education secretariat dated 17 April 2013. When asked who collected these monies, Dr. Mansaray replied that he inherited the list of schools and “I went out of my way to verify it”. He said that he returned monies meant for the “Ghost Schools” back to the consolidated revenue fund” but could not say how much as he was in Freetown when contacted, nor how long the payment had been going on for. He said that in one instance he saw a group of angry-looking people claiming to be headmasters of the said schools who he said rushed into his office demanding payment and that he narrowly escaped being beaten up by them. He lamented that he inherited “an acute and well-coordinated syndicate designed to enrich individual pockets” when he took over as Chairman early this year and that he recently met head teachers and updated them on criteria and the principal functions of school subsidy. “I have alerted my respective ward councilors to monitor and give me updates on school data in their respective wards” Dr Senessie concluded. The Deputy Director of Education in Kenema District, Claudius Wilson, said that the data which they paid subsidy on was not given to him. He said school subsidies were paid from the central government straight to the local councils who would dish out payment to the school authorities. This he said was because information on schools for their subsidy was supplied by head teachers and local councils. He said that they were considering mounting investigations not only into the issue of the 12 schools but rather the entire payment list of all schools in the district. The former Chairman of the Kenema District Council, Patrick Samu could not be reached for his comment. The schools which we can confirm to be fake or Ghost Schools are all called National Islamic Primary School said to be situated in the following villages: Konjo, Kamasu and Kundorma in the Lower Bambara chiefdom, Konjo in Dama chiefdom, Talia Torgboma and Yorgoima in Nongowa chiefdom, Wima and Daahun in Malegohun chiefdom, Bandajuma Togbor in Nongowa chiefdom, Kokoru and Yiebama in Gaura chiefdom, and Kebawana in Wandor chiefdom. (C) Politico 09/07/13
