The Minister of Basic and Senior Secondary Schools Dr David Sengeh has on Wednesday, 8th September, 2021 romanced with the Executive Members of the Sierra Leone Teachers Union on issues boarding on the growth and development of the Education Sector alongside the welfare of teachers at the ministry’s Conference Room in Freetown.

This quarterly meeting between the ministry and the Sierra Leone Teachers Union provides a platform for key stakeholders in the Education Sector to discuss emerging issues and proffer solutions.
Presenting some of the issues affecting teachers, the Secretary General Morris Conteh commended the Minister and the Government for the strides made so far in the Education sector and stressed that there is still more to be done.

SLTU is confident that with the open-door policy at the ministry, there will be a lot to achieve with Dr Sengeh at the helm of the ministry.

Mr. Conteh however noted the following observations:
• failure of the Teaching Service Trade Group Negotiating Council to finalize the Collective Bargaining Agreement (2019), and the delay on the part of key stakeholders to enhance the resumption of negotiations at the TSTGNG level.

• The payment of Annual Leave Allowance to teachers as it is done to other Civil Servants and the prompt payment of school fees subsidies for both Primary and Secondary Schools.

• The recruitment and payment of more new teachers, more school structures/classrooms to cater for the rapid increase in enrollment.
• Stopping salaries of teachers of Prime International School, Calaba Town, Freetown.

• The prompt provision of adequate teaching and learning materials and the promotion, reassessment and payment of salaries according to qualification and experience.

In his response Dr David Sengeh acknowledged the role of teachers in nation building and stressed the need to always engage each other to address these classroom challenges.

He noted that the one thousand teachers recruited and working on plans to make the classrooms more lucrative.

The Minister noted plans to critical review the Education Act, the Teaching Service Commission Act and the West Africa Examination Council Act as there are lots of inconsistencies that are to be addressed.

With the help of a consultant, the Sierra Leone Teachers Union alongside other affiliate bodies will play a critical role in engaging its membership nationwide on their inputs.

To recognize the relevance of teachers in the country, Dr Sengeh noted that President Dr Julius Maada Bio gives premium to the observance of the World Teachers Day, October 5th this year.

The Minister furthered that as a way of capacitating the profession he will be making provision for representations of Head Teachers and the SLTU to attend international conferences, where they can establish contacts and broaden their horizons on various educational issues.

The Executive were admonished to raise awareness on the Teachers Code of Conducts to their membership that guide their activities.
The Executive members of SLTU were asked to plan various strategies on how to continue the collaboration in building a strong Educational system with children accessing free quality education.