A cross section of the Government Rokel Secondary School students has on Monday 30th May, 2022 paid a visit to the Minister of Basic and Senior Secondary Schools, David Moinina Sengeh and pleaded on behalf of their teachers for Salary Harmonisation.
The education sector in Sierra Leone has be going through a lot over this Academic year. There have been so many press statements from the Teachers Associations and the government over the salary Harmonisation of the teachers in Sierra Leone.
On Friday 27th May 2022, the Sierra Leone Teachers Union issued a 21 Days strike notice as a result of the negligence and lack of seriousness of the Employers panel of the Teaching Service Trade Group Negotiating Council (TSTGNC). The press statements among others were expected to have yield positive response from the government.
With regards to their plead for increments, the teachers few weeks ago released their expectations, claiming that if they are not met, there will be no school to watch over.
“We are expecting the teachers salaries to be increased by the following indications below.
TC 3,500,000
HTC 3,800,000
B.Ed. 4,500,000.
MASTERs 5,500,000.
Without these conditions, no school” they threatened.
Though the education minister has had meetings with cross section of teachers reps, their discussions seemed not fruitful. Students who are the victims to this strike have taken it to another level of approach.
The Government Rokel Secondary School visited the Minister and pleaded on behalf of the teachers for Salary increments and as well reported some teachers who had not been doing their duties as teachers.
According to Sengeh, two things were interesting to their visit:
1. They were almost all young girls who spoke about their dreams
2. They almost all had phones out recording