Fake document causes riot – Principal resigns
The Islamic Secondary School in Mattru, John Chiefdom, Bonthe District recently closed down for weeks as the aggrieved pupils noted through the town when they received shocking news that their senior secondary school was not registered with the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (MEST) and therefore could not sit the West Africa Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).
The shocking news broke out just as the SS4 pupils were preparing to take their exams. Reports say that the problem was caused by the Vice Principal, Henry Sefoi who was given a substantial amount of money to travel to the Education Ministry in Freetown and register the senior school even though it was not yet matured for such registration and lacked necessities like a laboratory, equipped library, and sufficient qualified staff to exist as a senior school.
Mr Sefoi reportedly registered the school through the back door and returned with a counterfeit registration certificate which he refused to submit to the management and board till he was coerced to do so following the riot. This report was confirmed by members of the board although Mr Sefoi kept denying it, blaming the situation on what he referred to as the negligent attitude of some school authorities who failed to submit the necessary documentation to WAEC to allow the school to sit this year’s WASSCE. He argued that if the school was not properly registered with the Education Ministry, it could not have sat to last year’s WASSCE.
The riot climaxed with the pupils demanding the instant dismissal of both the Principal, Musa Jalloh and the accused Vice Principal, Mr Sefoi.
The impasse cause the Education Secretary, Mr Bangura, to abandon his office for weeks and travel to Mattru to resolve the problem.
The Principal Mr Musa Jalloh and the fate of Mr Sefoi is yet to be determined.
Meanwhile the problem caused dozens of pupils to miss this year’s WASSCE; but the school administration is reported to be putting in place mechanisms to let them take their WASSCE next academic year.
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