A recent investigation carried out by SALONE TIMES has indicated that many schools don’t have an adequate number of books and teaching materials for all the students they have enrolled.

“It’s difficult, very difficult. You can’t teach without books,” a teacher at a Government Assisted School tells us.

He goes on to say that many of the children in his class must share the books they have.

“Not all us of have textbooks so we read together in class. I am lucky because my grand-mother bought one for me,” a student in the same school tells us, “they should supply more books to us.”

Most of the books in many school libraries are provided for by various NGOs like, Plan International. There aren’t any Government teaching materials in the Government Assisted schools we investigated.

The teacher SALONE TIMES spoke to admits that when it comes to examinations, many of the students may have poor results because they don’t have access to books outside of school to study. He says he has heard from several people that books are either being stolen from the Ministry of Education, or people involved with the Ministry are selling them, therefore a smaller number of books are ending up in schools.

The Head of the English Department at St. Joseph’s Secondary School, Miss M. Smith-Turner, tells us the situation has been like this for decades now.

“You must not wait for the Government. It’s a matter of priority and it is negligence on the part of parents. Books should be a priority,” she says.

She goes on to say that a big problem is that the previous Minister of Education made buying textbooks optional for students. According to her, it’s impossible for children to learn without books.

“Government doesn’t supply us with any books at all,” she says.

The school has a book store, where they sell books to the children.

A bit further down the road is the Municipal School Dr. June Holst Roness This School received books from Government during the last academic year. They distribute them when they have classes and then gather them up at the end of the class.

“We have enough for a class at a time, but if we allow the books to go home with the children, most of them will go missing,” says Mr. Abu Bakarr Kamara, Vice-Principal of the School.

He says they do not receive reference books from the Government, and the school must buy those themselves. He admits results could be less on examinations because of the lack of teaching materials. He shows SALONE TIMES the books they receive, which are stamped with their school logo, and that of the Ministry’s to ensure if they are found being sold on the streets, they will be able to trace the books back.

In Waterloo District, the Western Area Rural District Council is currently in the process of distributing books to all the schools.

“We make sure all teachers sign, stamp, and date them so we can track them and not have the books end up being sold on the street,” says J.J. Blacki, Head of the Education Committee.

He admits that in the past thieves have broken into schools in the district and stolen books.

“The police also need to help us monitor the books being sold in the streets,” he says.

He also calls on members of the press to give information of any books they see on the streets to the authorities.

Education Officer for Freetown City Council Henry Fyfe, tells SALONE TIMES about the ongoing exercise of distributing teaching materials to the schools.

“All books must be stamped by FCC and the school itself,” he says.

He went on to say they are making announcements on the radio saying that books should be kept in the schools. They also communicate this practice to the councilors.

“If we see the books in the streets, we know where they came from,” Fyfe says.

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Author: Ibrahim Joenal Sessay
Photography: Ibrahim Joenal Sessay
Source: jhr
Original Publication Date: Nov. 20, 2009