Minister of Education Science and Technology boycotted an education forum organized by Education for All Coalition – Sierra Leone.

Minkailu Bah’s conspicuous absence from the programme that took place at the British Council Auditorium on Tuesday 10^th May 2011 as part of the activities to mark this year’s Global Action Week, attracted several negative comments from the guests, especially pupils and students.

One of the organizers of the forum, who preferred not to be named, expressed disappointment over the action of the Minister.

“We visited the Ministry at least on two occasions to discuss the participation of the Minister and other senior officials of the ministry,” he disclosed, pointing out that the Director of Education gave them full assurances that the Minister was going to grace the programme.

“Such assurances continued on to the eleventh hour, and we were utterly surprised that not a single official from the ministry attended the programme,” he disclosed.

A young student described the act of the minister as deliberate. “This is a deliberate act that is totally unacceptable”.

 

Another student who identified herself as Memunatu Bangura also expressed disappointment over the minister’s conspicuous absence.

“All my enthusiasm to at least meet with our education minister for the first time has been dampened by his act. What a disappointment!” she said.

According to her, she had planned series of questions for the Minister, especially with regards the dwindling education standards in the country.

Bangura said she was also expecting a groundbreaking statement from the minister in an occasion like this.

 

Several other students and education stakeholders voiced out similar sentiments.

Others express anger that the minister is almost always interested in attending programs that have no importance to education, citing a recent London Mining programme in which the minister reportedly spent over five hours attending as an example.

 

They however call on President Ernest Bai Koroma to caution his Ministers so that they will concentrate on issues within the purview of their Ministries.

The Minister is yet to comment.