By: Lamin B. Darboe
Senior Communication Officer, MoPS
Commissioners of the Public Service Commission (PSC) have said their ongoing outreach visits to schools across the country are not intended as a witch-hunt but to better understand challenges and achievements in the education sector.
The Commissioners made the remarks during engagements with school heads in Regions Five and Six in the Central and Upper River Regions, alongside officials from the Ministries of Public Service and Basic and Secondary Education.
They said the visits are aimed at assessing conditions in schools, including staffing levels, academic performance, enrolment figures, learning conditions, and the state of facilities such as staff and student toilets.
Commissioners Kebba Sarr and Edmond Shonubi said the PSC is mandated under Section 173 of the 1997 Constitution to recruit, promote, train, and discipline public officials within the public service, as well as to strengthen performance and improve service delivery.
They assured school heads that the outreach exercise was designed to support the education system and not to target or intimidate civil servants.
At Jarumeh Koto Lower Basic School, headteacher Saikou Kijera reported an enrolment of 229 pupils, comprising 111 boys and 118 girls, with nine teaching staff, including Early Childhood Development (ECD) teachers. He said the ECD section has 82 pupils.
At Cha Kunda, headteacher Matar Faal reported 396 pupils in Lower Basic School and 180 in Upper Basic School, with a total teaching staff of 21.
At Sare Kinti Lower Basic School, headteacher Mawdo Jallow said the school has 262 pupils with eight teachers.
At Armitage Senior Secondary School, Principal Saikouna Sibbi said the school has an enrolment of 992 students, supported by 42 teachers, 38 of whom are graduates.
School heads expressed appreciation to the PSC delegation for the engagement, describing it as an opportunity for open discussion on issues affecting teaching and learning.
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