By Ragan M. Conteh
Sahr Sowa, National Coordinator Free Quality Education has said in Parliament that the Ministry of Basic Education has instituted a head count in all government and government-assisted schools across the country with a view to weed out all ghost students.
Sahr Sowa observed that,the Ministry over the years has been spending colossal sums of money on ghost students as subsidies to schools across the country.
He disclosed that the data presented to the Ministry of Education by heads of schools is blotted and very unrealistic
The National Coordinator further noted that since they started the head count in schools they have discovered hundreds of ghost students thereby saving government hundreds of millions of Leones.
The headcount according to him is expected to end in March this year and that the outcome will be presented to the committee on Basic Education in Parliament.
Dr. David Shengeh, Minister Basic and Senior Secondary Education also spoke on how he intends to work to ensure transparency and accountability in schools especially with regards the utilization of school subsidies
Principals and Headmasters of various Primary and Secondary schools in the country who spoke to this medium on conditions of anonymity expressed anger over the headcount noting that most of their pupils who do not show up in school during the process are excluded from the school roll call thereby depriving the school of the much needed resources to manage it days to day activities.
They claimed that they have presented credible data to the Ministry of Basic Education for the disbursement of schools subsidies and that the move by the Ministry to count the pupils in the various schools would end up depriving the schools of the much needed revenue