The Sierra Leone Teachers’ Union (SLTU) has categorically dismissed a government announcement dated September 4, 2025, which claimed consensus had been achieved to reopen schools on Monday, September 8. In a September 5 statement, the Union branded the government’s communication as “misleading and inaccurate,” underscoring that key concerns remain unaddressed despite high-level engagements.
SLTU’s outstanding issues include:
• Non-payment of second- and third-term fees for 2024/2025, promised for early September.
• No firm date for the disbursement of first-term subsidies for the 2025/2026 academic year.
• Many of the 1,802 previously suspended teachers have yet to be reinstated or paid their July salary arrears.
• Unclear progress on teacher recruitment and reassessment efforts.
• No active joint committee has been constituted as promised.
“With no meaningful resolution in sight, we are compelled to lift the strike suspension issued in November 2024,” stated SLTU. The Union officially launched an indefinite nationwide strike effective Monday, September 8. Teachers have been instructed to remain off duty until the government addresses the outstanding issues.
This declaration directly contradicts the Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education’s narrative that schools would reopen, following what was described as a consensus emerging from emergency high-level meetings chaired by the Vice President.
The SLTU’s firm stand emphasizes not only demands for compensation and accountability but deep concerns about the country’s broader educational trajectory.
