Freetown Teachers College Embraces the Fight against Corruption
Corruption in the educational sector is a major challenge to the realization of quality education and the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals (MGDs). Stories about lack of transparency and systemic corruption in Sierra Leone’s education are regularly reported in social, print and electronic media; ranging from Principals maintaining ghost teachers on the payroll, some staff extorting money from unsuspecting students; to parents influencing lecturers for the illegal admission of their wards and children.
In an effort to address these ill practices, the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) engaged lecturers and students of the Freetown Teachers College in a customized meeting on Thursday 29th October 2015. In this engagement at the Great Hall of the Freetown Teacher’s College (F.T.C), both lecturers and students embraced the fight against graft.
Addressing the audience, Vice Principal, Gladys Deigh, said the college had gone ahead to institute internal corruption control systems, as it is visibly posted at the entrance of the campus “Welcome to Corruption Free Zone”. She further said that the administration has put in place stringent measures to curb examination malpractices, educational fraud, and many other forms of extortion and victimization. She appreciated the ACC for such visit, which she considered as reinforcing the already existing reforms going on at the College.
Earlier in his presentation as ACC Prosecutor, Rashid Dumbuya Esq. outlined a host of practices in educational institutions that could amount to corrupt offences under the 2008 Anti-Corruption Act. Among such practices are bribery for marks, corrupt acquisition of wealth through ghost teachers, extortion and illegal charges, misappropriation of public funds and abuse of office/position. The penalty for each of those practices he added is a fine not less than thirty million Leones or three years imprisonment or both.
Speaking on the topic, the role of Freetown Teachers College in the fight against corruption, ACC Public Education Officer David Kanekey Conteh, made a clarion call to lecturers and students to be enlisted into the Anti-graft Force, by resisting, rejecting and reporting corruption. He further identified possible areas the College could mainstream anti-corruption perspectives in their daily operations, as it is the recent approach in the anti-graft campaign. Speaking on integrity in education, Mr. Conteh stated that education is not just about the transfer of knowledge but also the transmission of moral values, the molding and shaping of human character. This he substantiated with a quote from C.S Lewis which says, “Education without values, as useful as it is, seems rather to make man, a more clever devil”
ACC Public Education Officer, Joseph Kangaju spoke about the simplest ways of reporting corruption to the Anti-Corruption Commission which is either in person, through the free toll lines, website or ACC application for Smart phone users. Mr. Kangaju assured whistle blowers and informants of absolute protection by the Commission, in an event they suffer victimization for reporting corruption.
The high point of the meeting, chaired by Head of Public Education Unit Michael Sesay was the plenary session.
By: Junisa Sankoh
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