The wise bird is a lover of education and will always support anything pertaining to education and other issues relating to education.
As the saying goes, ‘Education is the key to success’ That is more reason the patriotic and one of the most educated birds on planet earth is holding education to a very high esteem.
The attention of Bra Parrot was drawn to a letter dated 11th January 2024 written by the Secretary General of the Sierra Leone Teachers’ Union (SLTU) reminding the Minister of Basic and Senior Secondary Education of a 15% salary increase for teachers effective this month.
According to the letter the Secretary General also drew the attention of the Minister on the unpaid school fees, subsidies to some schools for the last academic year.
The wise bird also understood that, unpaid school fees, subsidies for first and second terms are yet to be paid.
Some schools according to the letter have still not received their Performance Based Financing (PBF) for third term.
The wise bird also reads from the letter by way of warning that, if these issues are not adequately addressed, they have the potential to undermine the already gains made so far on the on-going Free Quality Education (FQE).
The patriotic and fearless bird will say without hesitation that, the much-talked about Free Education is not as free as the government thinks it is – in all respect.
The government did not make education free as expected, if government cannot pay subsidies to schools and on time, what do they expect the schools authorities to do?
Bra Parrot can safely say that, the so-called free education is only on paper, the practical aspect of it is not seen.
Ministers come and go but it is just the same old story, where subsidies are not paid, if at all they are paid, but not on time.
The wise bird is not making a case for schools authorities. Just that, Bra Parrot calls things as they are seen.
Very recently to admit students to Senior Secondary school (SSS) some parents paid millions of Leones to admit their children.
Government cannot pay subsidies to schools, how can they pay performance Based Financing (PBF)?
That is the question the wise bird is asking.