Annie Walsh will be mature to enter full privatization in three years- Says Bishop Thomas Wilson- Anglican Bishop of Freetown Sierra Leone!
[A WAKE UP CALL FOR AWOGAS WORLD WIDE]
The Proprietor and Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Annie Walsh Memorial School, Bishop Thomas Wilson has said that “the Annie Walsh Memorial School will only be mature to enter full privatization status after three years.”
He disclosed this information following a letter from the Ministry of Education addressed to him titled “Change of Status of the Annie Walsh Memorial Secondary School.”
He said the letter, which was signed by the Permanent Secretary, Mr. Prince E.O Cole, states that “…to inform you that Cabinet has approved the recommendation proffered in the report submitted to the Hon. Minister of Education to grant The Annie Walsh Memorial Secondary School privatization status which starts with a three years Provisional Privatization Status, commencing in January 2016.”
The letter, Bishop continues, also stated that the school will be regularly monitored by the Privatization Sub-Committee of the National Board of the Ministry of Education during the three years to ensure that the school strictly followed the criteria for privatization set by them (the National Board of Education).
The Proprietor and Chairman of the Board of the Annie Walsh Memorial School disclosed to this press that at the moment he is faced with a challenge in the interpretation of the said letter, stating that there are a lot of interpretations to the letter.
“Some have said come 2016 the government will no longer pay the teachers, others have said the privatization starts in January 2016, meaning the school will be independent with no support from Government, while others have said as a mission we will not be able.” Bishop Wilson maintained that “Government will not be so wicked to grant a privatization status on the 6th October 2015 and expect us to begin full autonomous operation in January 2016.”
Bishop highlighted that “To operating as a private school, you have to scale down teachers, review pupils on role, and look at the status of the school, whether it is going to be two administrations or one, so it’s a process,” disclosing that “my understanding about the letter is that the government will continue to maintain the school until after this three years and by that time we will have put all our structures in place and be mature to kick off.”
Questioned about why they decided to change the status of the school, Bishop Wilson said “the decision is based on quality education,” stating that “it is no secret that education had fallen and has dropped considerably in Sierra Leone.
He gave an example of a child in Junior Secondary School (JSS) three who cannot write a good letter “so we want to ensure that we contribute towards the workforce of the nation by giving them quality and firm education especially to the girl child.”
“Privatizing will make a lot of difference, stating that the school has been doing a lot in terms of girl child education. if we have been working under adverse condition with over two thousand pupils in both schools and we have been doing well, if we have limited number with more professionalism, I am sure we will be able to contribute immensely especially in educating the girl child who can contributes immensely towards the social economy of our nation,” Bishop Wilson ascertained.
Questioned about how they intend to operate in terms of school fees, teachers’ salary, enrolments, among others, Bishop said he will not say now until after their meeting on Tuesday 27th October 2015 with the implementation committee which will be responsible to look at all issues in the letter, assuring that “as a religious institution, he believes at the end of the three years they will be able to operate in their long awaited dream – private status.”
According to a source at the Ministry of Education, “I believe the Annie Walsh Memorial School has met all necessary criteria, that is why we have granted them such status.”
Most of the old girls and current pupils of the school appreciate the letter from the Ministry concerning their new status, while a pupil in JSS two who preferred anonymity said that she appreciates the current privatization status but “my fear is if my parents will be able to match up with the private standards because I know the fees will be extravagant to an extent that only the rich will attend the school.”
By Emmanuella Kallon
Monday October 26, 2015
{Courtsey: Awoko Newspaper- Freetown}
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