Public Education on Public Education: Salaries of Teachers (2014-2022) - facts and distortions
By Dr. David Sengeh, Minister of Basic and Senior Secondary Education, Sierra Leone
My greatest pleasure and challenge as a public servant has been how to bring people along with governance decision making.
Last week, I asked a hypothetical question on air. If you were a Minister and you had additional $80,000 per year to invest in the education sector, what do you do? Would you recruit 11,000 Grade 5 teachers or would you increase the salaries of those on payroll now by 30%? Or how might you do both?
I didn’t provide an answer but I was misconstrued by people who thrive on misinformation. By the way, one of my Harvard college essays I still have was as a freshman I was asked to answer the hypothetical question of what I’ll do with $1m. And this is a question people ask like in this excellent report by Center for Global Development (https://www.cgdev.org/blog/how-much-should-governments-spend-teachers). These are not questions being asked just in Sierra Leone.
Anyway, back to data on teacher salaries- between 2014-2022, our government provided increments to teacher salaries twice and compared to a previous baseline, large leaps including for Grade 1 teachers who are unqualified. Just this April, we have upgraded additional 1,000 + teachers by completing their reassessments. We will add additional 1,200 teachers to the payroll in September bringing it to about 13,000 teachers replaced and newly added since 2018. We provided over 300m Leones to teachers on the Best Teacher Awards.
We have re-started the Trade Group Negotiation Agreement meetings. You want to know some of the things we as employers are considering in the 15 chapter document? Parental leave- no, not maternal leave... but holistic Parental leave. The impact of this is huge for families and something other countries aren’t thinking.
The thing is when people are bent on misrepresenting you, they will not do whatever you do or say. They wish they can silence you. But you can’t silence facts and progress. So they call you arrogant, disrespectful, not listening... and abuse your parents and threaten your family. As a young person, I have experienced all of that this week... why? Because I speak up and share information and bring along the public. Because I believe governance and leadership must be inclusive and participatory.
These are among the toughest times we face as elections are around the corner. I see other parties releasing pay systems they can’t even breakdown beyond the first level. What do these parties have planned for your children? Remove FQSE? And do what?
And for the record:
Yes, we understand that teachers have concerns.
Yes, we are in conversation with disgruntled teachers as have always being.
Yes, we are negotiating with SLTU.
Yes, we are aware of issues between some teachers and SLTU.
Yes we have improved teacher conditions.
Yes we use data and evidence to plan.
Yes we engage the public constantly.
Yes, the opposition politicians are playing with the sentiments of the people.
All those things are true and Yes, we expect our teachers and our children to be in school learning.
Yes, and...
Finally, no matter my true sentiments and my explanation, some people have misrepresented me to anger people. If anyone is angered by what they believe I said to be disrespectful, I am sorry. For anyone who wants to silence me, I am sorry, I won’t be nor can I be silenced. We owe it to the people to give them the truth. I am sorry, I am not a politician who can lie to the people. Our governance approach is to bring citizens along. Nothing have I ever said haven’t been done.
As I have said over and over and over again, I am named after Ticha Lahai. No misinformation can tarnish our excellent relationship with teachers.
Finally finally, I kindly urge all parents to send their kids to school. I thank all the amazing teachers who have been going to school even with these uncertainties. And I invite those who’ve been at home whether now or from before to please go to class. You are doing it for your children, not me, not President Bio. Don’t follow detractors, many of whom are living overseas and working three jobs to make ends meet. They want to hurt our country so let’s not let them.
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