As public education is a very important tool in the fight against corruption, the Public Education Unit of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) Regional Office in Kono on the 21st March 2022 held an interactive session with Principals of Secondary Schools in Koidu. The customized meeting, which took place at the Experimental Secondary School, was meant to discuss suspected corruption incidences in schools and further strengthen bilateral relationships with the schools authorities in curbing corruption and malpractices in the education sector.
The meeting was necessitated by persistent reports of extra/illegal charges in schools and examination malpractices in public exams with the assistance of some authorities which invariably have negative effects on the standard of education.
While addressing the Principals, ACC’s Manager in the district, Hawanatu O. Kamara thanked them for their professionalism and commitment to duty and further reminded them about the Commission’s zero tolerance stance on all forms of corruption in schools. “Corruption has the potential to kill the future of this nation as pupils today will become public officers tomorrow with the responsibility to control State resources. If, as professionals you do not imbibe in them the correct attitudes, values and skills, the country will be doomed,” she said.
The Regional Manager briefly took the audience through pages of the asset declaration documents intended for Principals and their Deputies, Bursars and others with fiduciary responsibilities. She however reminded them to note that the declaration process is not optional but mandated by law as it is an important tool to the operations of the Commission in terms of enhancing integrity, accountability and transparency in public offices. Mrs. Kamara concluded her statement by urging the participants to complete the process before the 31st March 2022 to avoid the penalties stipulated in the Anti-Corruption Act of 2008 as amended in 2019.
Referring to some offences in the AC Act 2008 as amended in 2019, Senior Public Education Officer Sam P. Gogra, singled out examination malpractices, abuse of office and position, illegal charges and extortion, soliciting and accepting an advantage, injudicious use of school fees subsidies, exchanging sex for grades and other professional impropriety, among others. He noted that anyone convicted on any of the aforementioned offences will be asked to pay a fine of not less than Fifty Million Leones or be incarcerated for a prison term of not less than five years.
“Corruption offences can be reported to the ACC Headquarter Office in Freetown and all the regional offices in Bo, Kenema, Kono, Makeni and Port Loko, or by calling the toll free lines of, 077-985985/077-986986,” the Senior Public Education Officer said.
He also informed them that the Commission has re-introduced a reward scheme of 10 percent withheld by it for its operations for informants and whistleblowers who give reliable information about corrupt activities to the ACC. He further assured the participants that adequate provisions are always in place to protect informants and whistleblowers from any reprisals.
The Principal of the Experimental Secondary School in Koidu, who also doubles as the Chairman, Conference of Principals Kono, Sheku Kamara chaired the session and described the preventive approach as timely and educative. He concluded his statements by committing to inform other members who were not present for the meeting about the outcome of the engagement after pledging his support on behalf of his team to always support the Commission in its fight against corruption.
