Sierra Leone’s teachers union said on Wednesday it will launch a nationwide strike on Sept. 8 unless the government addresses subsidy arrears and other longstanding grievances, raising the prospect of schools failing to reopen for the new academic year.
The Sierra Leone Teachers Union (SLTU) said the action follows what it described as the government’s failure to resolve issues first raised in a November 2024 strike notice, which was later suspended pending dialogue.
In a letter to the Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education, the union listed its demands, including payment of subsidies owed for the second and third terms of the past school year and the first term of the 2025/26 academic year. It also called for prompt and accurate subsidy payments each term, a review of subsidy amounts to reflect inflation, and the reinstatement of teachers removed from the payroll in July.
Other grievances include a three-year halt in the supply of teaching and learning materials, the non-payment of performance-based financing for primary schools, and the lack of government support for approved schools. The union further urged the government to recruit more technical and vocational instructors.
“The aforementioned concerns are a severe hindrance to effective teaching and learning,” SLTU Secretary-General Morris S. Conteh said in the letter. “Addressing them would promote the attainment of government’s flagship programme of free quality education.”
The strike is set to begin the same day schools are scheduled to reopen nationwide.
By Tracy Koroma
