The Deputy Minister of Technical and Higher Education, Dr.Turad Senessie, has made clarifications in Freetown over the stalled Students Loan Scheme announced by President Bio prior to the March 2018 elections for children or wards of teachers who have taught for over ten years.
The pledge which remains one of many pledges made to teachers by the Bio government has still remained unachievable due to the upsurge in terms of applications to the Ministry responsible for Higher Education.
Even though the Deputy Education Minister, Dr.Turad Senessie, has said in Freetown that government has awarded 34 scholarships to deserving pupils, many believed government has been unable to fund the scheme largely due to the very high numbers that have applied.
Dr.Turad said at the Ministry of Information and Communications press briefing that they have introduced DNA tests for all pupils submitted by teachers as beneficiaries of the scheme going forward.
A teacher at Richard Allen Secondary School, east of Freetown who spoke to this medium disclosed that government is circumventing an earlier promise made to them to submit three children for university scholarships.
He indicated that at the moment, government has received over thirty thousand applications from teachers and looks like they are unable to announce the new wages for teachers just as they are also in terms of rolling out the scholarships as well as the teacher awards.
A very credible source at the Sierra Leone Teachers’ Union also told this medium that they are not aware about the status of the scheme promised by government for the wards or children of teachers even though they were supposed to be very keys in the process.
He could also not confirm whether government has already given thirty-four (34) scholarships to children or wards of teachers.