By Amin Kef Sesay
Dr. David Moinina Sengeh, Minister of Basic and Senior School Education (MBSSE), has regarded the fight against corruption in education as the hugest fight against corruption in the country, noting that in achieving that all parties have a key role to play.
He made that disclosure on the 19th August 2021, during the ‘Gud Morning Salone’ Programme on Radio Democracy 98.1.
“One of the biggest successes we can get in the fight against corruption is when we combat corruption in education. In achieving that, parents have a big role to play because they are the ones paying bribes instead of encouraging our children to study and make good grades, pupils that are engaged in examination malpractices to make good grades, and Principals that are receiving bribes from parents and also extorting a lot of money from the Government also have important roles to play,” he said.
He mentioned an instance in which the Ministry in collaboration with the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has to summon school authorities that are inflating the number of pupils they are sending for public examinations with the Government bearing the cost.
The Minister said in fighting corruption in education, the Ministry is implementing two things, one is by preventing face-to-face interaction through the implementation of digitalization, noting that computers cannot be bribed, and second he said is using the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), noting that the Ministry has signed a communiqué with the ACC to stop corruption in schools.
“I am pleading with parents not to pay for admission for their children. If school authorities attempt to extort money from parents, they should call the toll-free line of 8060 or report to the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC),” he said.
He encouraged parents to make use of the toll-free line if parents think that school authorities are asking them to make payment for what is part of the Free and Quality School Education package.
He said with the Placement Checker, every pupil that has the NPSE Pass Mark can go to a secondary school without paying a cent.
According to him, after so many years pupils that took the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) are going to start the 2021/2022 Academic Year with other pupils, noting that the Ministry decided to do so to prevent teenage pregnancy which most times occurs as a result of girls long stay at home after sitting to the BECE.
He stressed the need for radical inclusion and equity in acquiring education in the country.
