"Teachers are the most important people in our society. Only God can pay them." Yes, but we too can do much better.

If you have spent a bit of time around educational and policy gatherings in this country, then you may have heard the saying that "Teachers are the most important people in our society", [but]  "Only God can pay them." While this common saying, may at first sight seem to patronise teachers and highlight their crucial task in making our country possible, more often it hides the reality teachers have continued to endure in our country, and easily drives away the attention of those in position to do something about the situation. Today, our policy makers deliberate on the government's budget, a great opportunity to bring the concerns of teachers to the front seats.

For a country to do well requires its people to have the necessary skills and education to be able to generate new ideas and be able to staff its private, public and non-governmental sectors. We can easily see how the work of teachers and what happens in our schools influences the daily decisions made in our hospitals, courts, public offices, and the performance of businesses operating in our country. When we have a highly trained and skilled workforce, foreign investors have more confidence to invest needed capital and resources that will create new businesses, heal our economy and bring jobs to our people.

We want good doctors who can keep us healthy, we want good politicians and policy makers who can think critically and creatively to formulate and effect laws that will make our lives better. We want entrepreneurs, innovators, and highly skilled graduates who can use their advanced skills and knowledge to solve our problems, staff our offices, and run our businesses successfully. But how can we achieve any of these without motivated teachers to give them the necessary attitudes, skills and knowledge? It's impossible to imagine a future without our nation's teachers. Yet, when it comes to being rewarded we are happy to put the teachers in the bottom of the pile.

While it's true that teachers want God's blessings, they also want to be able to afford the average means that will make it possible for them to do a good job for our country. In the long run, what tells a country apart is the productive capacity inherent in its people. Education is the primary means by which we give young people the tools and knowledge to be resourceful. This makes improving the lives of teachers so important in reviving our country.

The free education drive started by the new government holds great promise to bring new life to our weakened economy and educational system. While we wait to see what real impact this brings, we cannot foget that quality education requires much more than greater numbers of teachers and children in our schools. Yes, more children, more schools and more teachers are great, but better happier teachers make the real difference. We want the education sector to be able to attract the best talent this country can offer. We want energetic young people to be able to proudly raise their hands and say, 'My life dream is to become a teacher'.

It is undisputed that every sector we take for granted is heavily impacted by the quality of teaching and learning happening in our schools. The performance of our government and economy directly mirrors the quality of what happens in our schools and universities. If teachers are poorly paid and unmotivated, the result (as we currently have it) is continued dismal examination results, extra financial and administrative resources spent on re-seats, poorly trained graduates and profesionals who cost the country and drive investors away. We end up spending multiple times more on recovering from the symptoms of poor education than it would require us to improve the condition of our teachers and avoid the disease in the first place.

Happy and hard working teachers make a happy and successful nation. Well trained, well paid and well managed teachers is what Sierra Leone needs. Valuing education is a strong indicator of our commitment to move out of poverty and transform the lives of Sierra Leoneans. The government's renewed attention to education is a good beginning, though much more has to be done for the country to feel its real impact. 

No country is better than the heads, hands and hearts of its people. Improving the lives of teachers will only make our country better.
What needs to be done? 

And yes, while teachers want God's blessings for the great work they do, they also want to be paid well for it.