Centennial Pupils Overthrow Principals

Pupils of the Centennial Secondary School in Mattru Jong, Bonthe District, have succeeded in unseating their principals through a 10 day sit-down strike action reportedly masterminded by disgruntled teachers, parents, and old boys.

The ousted principals, Abdulai Alpha Barrie of the senior school and Joseph Daniel Gobio of the junior school were both sent on 6 months leave by the board members of the school.  The board’s decision followed the determination of the pupils not to go back to school until the two principals left the school.

According to the pupils, they had cause to go on the strike because the two evicted principals brought the school from grace to grass.  They alleged that during the long tenure of the ousted principals, the school was performing poorly in public exams as the teachers were not encouraged and, therefore, could not teach effectively.  The pupils further accused that for several years, the two principals failed to facelift the school structures most of which leaked profusely.

They also alleged that some of them had no sitting accommodation as the school had insufficient desks and chairs.  “Most of us did not have identity cards and admission numbers and for a whole academic year we could not be given report cards,” they charged.

Contacted, the evicted principal of the senior school, Abdulai Barrie, described most of the pupil’s allegations as false, baseless, malicious and deliberately designed by his enemies to unseat him.  Mr. Barrie accused some teachers and old boys of instigating the pupils to go on the rampage.

By Kadijatu Koroma

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