The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has cautioned against illicit student admissions, associating financial penalties with student tardiness or absenteeism, and charging for supplementary classes held on school premises.

Mr. Thulah, a representative of the ACC said this at t a Classroom Teachers Association (CTA) meeting held at the Free Pentecostal Mission Academy in Port Loko on 29 September 2023.

In a densely populated CTA meeting of the Free Pentecostal Mission Academy on 29 September 2023, the ACC representative emphasized the aforementioned issues among others.

In his opening statement, he brings the audience greetings from the highest rank and to everyone from the commission. He then reflected on the minds of attendees of the meeting to the previous standard of Sierra Leone’s education among other African countries, and the causes of the deteriorating condition. He assured: “We are fighting against corruption in the education sector.”

Highlighting key points, Mr. Thulah stated that students shouldn’t be financially penalized for tardiness or absenteeism, and additionally, no charges should be levied for any extra classes conducted on school grounds. Nonetheless, he urged teachers and parents to jointly address the issue of students routinely arriving late post-holidays, as this can eat into teaching time and potentially lead to incomplete syllabi.

To conclude, he stressed the importance of obtaining approval from the Ministry of Education for any resolutions taken during such meetings, advising that these should be presented as official meeting minutes for endorsement.

The Free Pentecostal Mission Academy, one of the renounced schools in Port Loko City had their first CTA meeting for the 2023- 2024 academic year. Heads of the school, teachers, parents, ACC representative and other invited school authorities convened at the school compound to plan for the unfolding academic year.