By: Mohamed Jaward Nyallay

Claim: Minister of Basic and Senior Secondary Education (MBSSE) Dr. David Moinina Sengeh has alleged that “in the APC Manifesto, their only promise for teachers is to train Physical Education Teachers (PHE)! No recruitment, reassessment, or training.”

Verdict: False. The manifesto made several other promises to teachers, including retraining and reassessment.

Following the launch of the All Peoples Congress (APC) Manifesto on Monday, May 29, there has been a lot of discussion on various policy issues. As the main opposition party in Sierra Leone’s upcoming general election on June 24, the APC will be contesting against the ruling Sierra Leone Peoples Party.

On Tuesday, May 30, the Minister of Basic and Senior Secondary Education, Mr. Sengeh, claimed in a Facebook post that the APC manifesto did not make any promises to teachers, except for training more Physical Health Education (PHE) instructors.

Mr. Sengeh reiterated these claims in a TikTok video, emphasizing the efforts the SLPP government has made for teachers since 2018. As one of the most popular cabinet ministers in the current government, Mr. Sengeh has a significant following on social media, with over 47 thousand followers on one of his Facebook pages, where he made the specific claim. By 11 pm on Tuesday, the post had received over 100 reactions on Facebook and over 700 on TikTok.

Methodology: To verify this claim, the SLAJ/NDI SuperNewsRoom examined the APC manifesto. On page 20 of the document, there is a subsection titled “Invest in the Education Workforce,” which discusses plans for teacher development.

One of the points states that they will “review and update the current teacher education curricula to reflect advancements in teaching and other skills demanded by the job market.”

The manifesto also outlines several other promises regarding teacher training and assessment that would be implemented if the APC wins the general election.

Photo Sources: David Sengeh’s Facebook Page and APC 2023 Manifesto

Conclusion: Based on the evidence presented, it is false for Minister David Sengeh to suggest that the APC Manifesto only focuses on training PHE teachers without any further plans for teacher training and assessment.

This fact-checked story is a product of the SLAJ/NDI SuperNewsRoom on Combating Disinformation in Sierra Leone’s 2023 electoral cycle. The project is supported by Global Affairs Canada to enable citizens have access to credible and accurate information during the elections.

The SuperNewsRoom is powered by Africell SL.

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