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On Sunday, September 7, 2025, the Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education (MBSSE) issued a press release to address the impending strike planned by the Sierra Leone Teachers Union (SLTU). The strike is scheduled to begin on Monday, September 8, 2025.
In the release, the MBSSE acknowledged the valuable contributions of teachers to national development and expressed respect for their concerns.
The Ministry stated its commitment to resolving the outstanding issues through “close consultation with all stakeholders.” The government is taking several steps to address the union’s demands.
Government Actions to Avert Strike
Payment of Outstanding Subsidies: On September 5, 2025, the government transferred over SLE 82.5 million to commercial banks to cover teachers’ second and third-term subsidies from the previous year. The transfer receipts were shared with the SLTU.
Recruitment and Deployment: The government allocated a recruitment quota for teachers in 2025, with 70% of the new teachers to be deployed to schools without PIN-coded teachers.
Teacher Reassessments: The government approved the reassessment of 3,043 teachers in the 2025 budget. A thousand of these teachers will be allocated to acting principals and head teachers, while the remaining 2,043 will be assigned to acting vice principals and deputy heads nearing retirement, as well as other teaching positions.
Joint Committee: A joint committee has been established and will report to the Vice President to discuss broader issues, including the funding formula for subsidies and budgetary allocations for teaching and learning materials.
The Ministry also announced that 1,802 teachers have already been reinstated by the Teaching Service Commission (TSC) and the SLTU. These reinstated teachers will meet to discuss the payment of additional eligible teachers who were suspended from the payroll, along with other quality-related issues.
The MBSSE emphasized that the government views teachers as partners in education and as a cornerstone of the Free Quality School Education program. The Ministry urged all pupils, teachers, parents, school authorities, and other education stakeholders to exercise patience as these matters are resolved.
