By Kadijatu Bangura reporter D.S
The Sierra Leone Teachers Union has warned that schools nationwide are under growing financial strain due to delays in government school fee subsidies, raising the prospect of renewed industrial action if payments are not made urgently.
In a May 7 letter to Vice President Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh, SLTU Secretary General Morris S. Conteh said subsidies for the second and third terms of the 2025/2026 academic year for junior secondary and primary schools remain unpaid, despite repeated commitments from the government.
The union noted that timely payment of subsidies was a central condition of the agreement that ended the September 2025 teachers’ strike. That settlement, brokered through the Vice President’s office, saw teachers return to classrooms after the government pledged to clear backlogs for the 2024/2025 year and the first term of 2025/2026. Several other concerns raised at the time remain unresolved, the SLTU added.
“It is disappointing that the fee subsidies for second and third terms have still not been paid in spite of assurances from Government,” the letter stated.
SLTU also expressed frustration over the Joint Committee formed to address outstanding issues in the sector, saying the body has not reconvened since its inaugural session.
With the third term already underway, school authorities report mounting difficulties maintaining basic operations and providing learning materials. Education stakeholders warn that the funding gap is undermining teaching and learning across the country.
The union has appealed to Vice President Jalloh for immediate intervention to avert a new standoff with government. The letter was copied to the Ministers of Basic and Senior Secondary Education; Finance; Employment, Labour and Social Security; the Teaching Service Commission; and the Sierra Leone Labour Congress.
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