ACC empowers school pupils in Lunsar and Port Loko to report corruption

The Northern Regional Office of the Anti-Corruption Commission has empowered secondary school pupils in Lunsar and Port Loko to enable them contribute to the fight against illegal charges and corrupt practices in their schools.

In its quest to take anti corruption messages to schools, a team of Public Education Officers from ACC’s Northern Regional Office embarked on awareness raising exercise in all secondary schools in Lunsar  and Port Loko on 16^th – 17^th and 23^rd -24^th February 2011. The objective of the sensitization titled “Meet the Schools Campaign’ was to  enable the pupils aware of the corrupt practices that are taking place in their schools, illegal charges, their roles and responsibilities and encouraging them to report to the ACC.

Speaking during the campaign in Lunsar and Port Loko, leader of the ACC team, Mr. Al Hassan Sesay warned principals and teachers to stop forcing pupils to pay money before their assignments and test papers are marked,  buy pamphlets, pay for extra lessons, payment for collection of  report cards and BECE/WASSE results and other illegal charges. Mr. Sesay highlighted other corrupt practices that are on going in schools such as illegal admission and promotion, falsification of results, examination malpractices  among many others.  He reminded staff and pupils of the respective schools that all these practices fall under the offences in the 2008 Act and punishment for each count is a fine not less than thirty million Leones or imprisonment for not less than three years.

Mr. Sesay called on the pupils to report to the Commission any act of corruption in their schools. He emphasized that as students, they have a role to play if corruption is to be wiped out in their schools. The leader of the delegation made available ACC mobile numbers to the pupils to enable them have access to the Commission and assured them of the Commissions’ fullest protection whenever they make report.  Mr. Sesay urged the pupils to say bye- bye and no to corruption.

Giving an overview of the operations of the Commission, Public Education Officer, Miss Fatmata Finda Bockarie told staff and pupils of the respective schools in Lunsar and Port Loko that the Commission is only leading the fight against corruption and therefore called on them to join the fight.  She explained the different approaches used by the Commission in the fight against corruption and emphasized its friendly and bitter face.

Miss Bockarie stressed the Commission’s determination to stamp out corrupt practices and warned staff and pupils to desist from them.

In his address, ACC’s District Coordinator for  Port Loko Mr. Sahid Kamara noted that the Commission is now closer to the people. He called on the pupils and teachers of the respective schools to change their corrupt attitude and support the Commission

At the end of the address in each school, the pupils and teachers were given the opportunity to ask questions which were answered by the ACC team.

The schools visited are:

1.     A.D Wurie Memorial Secondary School, Lunsar

2.     Marampa Islamic Secondary School, Lunsar

3.     Kalalupe Secondary School, Lunsar

4.     Muraldo Secondary School, Lunsar

5.     Maria Ines Junior Secondary School, Lunsar

6.     Stefani Memorial Secondary School, Lunsar

7.     The Door Junior Secondary School, Lunsar

8.     Catholic Secondary School, Port Loko

9.     Zion Secondary School, Port Loko

10.   Earnest Koroma Junior Secondary School, Port Loko

11.   S.I Koroma Memorial Junior Secondary School, Port Loko

12.   Schlenker Secondary School, Port Loko

13.  Maforki Agricultural Islamic Secondary School, Port Loko

14.  Evangelical Technical Secondary School, Port Loko

15.  Ahmadiyya Muslim Secondary School, Port Loko

ACC, Freetown

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