The Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education (MBSSE), in collaboration with the Teaching Service Commission (TSC), is set to submit a list of 680 teachers for retirement in 2023, with 203 of them serving as Head Teachers in various public schools.

Mr. Sorie Turay, the Secretary of TSC, has confirmed that the recruitment process for new teachers will take effect on the 31st of August 2023.

This decision to retire teachers annually on the 31st of August was granted approval by the Cabinet. The aim is to ensure minimal disruption to the school year by maintaining a standardized schedule for teacher retirements.

“The retirement letters of these teachers were dispatched to their schools early in the ycar and they are expected to complete the retirement forms and submit them to the TSC Offices in their respective districts. The forms will then be submitted to the Ministry of Finance for processing. Copies of the retirement letters can be collected from the TSC Offices in the event that they have not received copies”, he said.

He said this is in line with the mandatory retirement age in the teaching service which is 60 years; he however stated

that there is concession for tcachers that are teaching Science, Technology, Agriculture, Engineering and Mathematics (STAEM) subjects to extend their retirement age to 65 years if thcy are willing.

Mr. Sorie Turay, the Secretary of TSC, emphasized that the retirement of teachers aligns with the mandatory retirement age in the teaching service, which is set at 60 years. However, he pointed out that there is a concession for teachers specializing in Science, Technology, Agriculture, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEAM) subjects, allowing them to extend their retirement age to 65 years if they are willing to do so

He said the government is presently processing 2,800 teachers that will soon be included in the government payroll.

Teachers constitute a significant 40% of the entire government payroll, and since 2018, more than 5,424 teachers have been rightfully placed on their appropriate pay grades. Additionally, over 300 school heads have been regularized to ensure a well-structured educational leadership system.

Looking back at 2021, the government successfully recruited 1,000 teachers to further enhance the quality of education across the nation. As of now, there are approximately 36,509 teachers registered on the government payroll.