1.4 Background Information Acknowledgements This Human Resource Manual for Teachers and School Leaders, released by the Teaching Service Commission (TSC) is the final result of support from several individuals and institutions whom we wish to publicly acknowledge. Initially, our thanks go to the EU, whose technical assistance and guidance under the Support to the Education Sector in Sierra Leone funding programme led to the manual’s development; Human Resources Specialist, Jens Gnaur; layout- and digitalisation experts Stephanie Malyon and Phil Lee (sub-contracted through Charlie Goldsmith Associates); and TSC managers and professionals including Mariam Abu and Bundu Kamara who were key to this process. We thank you for your diligent hours of work and commitment. Special thanks go to the respective departmental heads and staff of the TSC who engaged in this process. Our appreciation for their invaluable back-up throughout the process goes to the TSC Senior Management, the EU Delegation in Sierra Leone and the management and staff of the consortium led by PROMAN (Luxembourg). The latter were contracted by the EU to support the ministries of education and the TSC with technical assistance. Preparing the manual has been a participatory process involving representatives of the manual’s future users and key stakeholders. The manual team is extremely grateful for the inspiration, ideas, experiences and factual knowledge shared with enthusiasm by school leaders, teachers, TSC district staff, managers from the two ministries of education, representatives of the Sierra Leone Teachers’ Union and other representatives from several institutions associated with teaching in Sierra Leone. Without your engagement and contributions in the needs assessment phase, interviews, workshops and focus group sessions, the manual would not have been possible in its present form. It would also have lacked the relevance and user-friendliness which we hope it will demonstrate when applied for HR tasks, processes and approaches in the future. We can never quite thank all of you who have been a part of this journey. We recognise and appreciate your contribution. Let us all use the document to support the work, well-being and development of teachers and school leaders in Sierra Leone.Foreword The Teaching Service Commission proudly presents the Human Resource (HR) Manual for Teachers and School Leaders. This is an invaluable tool, primarily for teachers, but also for all those who work closely with teachers providing administrative and professional support, including education authorities, school boards, supervisors, and inspectors. Before the TSC became fully functional in 2018, the teaching profession in Sierra Leone had been neglected for decades. It received a major boost with the launch of the government’s Free Quality School Education (FQSE) policy where H.E President Julius Maada Bio recognised teachers as this country’s ‘greatest asset’. Since its inception, the government and partners have supported the TSC in its efforts to restore the value of teachers and promote their professional status and economic wellbeing. As an early step towards setting an agenda for teacher-focused interventions, the Commission conducted a Comprehensive Situation Analysis of Teachers and the Teaching Profession to understand the status of teachers and the challenges facing the profession. It was followed by the development of a number of tools, most notably: the Professional Standards for Teachers and School Leaders; the Code of Conduct for Teachers; the Grievance Redress Mechanism; and most recently, a set of Harmonised Teacher Policies comprising Registration and Licensing, Teacher Management, Teacher Development and Performance, and Teacher-Employer Relations launched by the Hon. Minister of Basic and Senior Secondary Education, Dr David Moinina Sengeh in July, 2020. The HR Manual is a much welcome complementary tool with enormous practical value in its ‘how to’ approach that every teacher is sure to find useful. The process of developing the manual was research-based, participatory and painstaking, involving lengthy analysis and revisions. The level of care and patience that went into its development truly reflects the value the government places on teachers and the profession. The TSC is indebted to the EU for its support to this initiative through Mr. Jens Gnaur and his team. The HR Manual will be a brand-new experience for teachers, providing them with the basic tools of the trade. It is designed to inspire and motivate teachers and give them a sense of belonging and pride in the profession. It serves to answer the myriad of questions teachers ask as they navigate their way through the complex maze of working relationships with employers and administrators at school, community, and central levels. It brings relief to us at the TSC as it encapsulates solutions to the perennial challenges encountered with issues of social security and national registration, prerequisites for recruitment and entry into the government payroll. The manual will potentially reduce the endless traffic of teachers to TSC offices in search of answers, often taking them away from their most important task - teaching. The Commission will therefore ensure that a copy of the manual is secured for every teacher, as a priority, and that it is seen as an integral part of resources for teachers in the government’s budget. The TSC is committed to orienting school heads, teachers, and potential beneficiaries on the use of the HR Manual. The manual will enhance teachers’ understanding of their roles and responsibilities, introduce positive changes in the execution of their duties, and increase job satisfaction and quality in the teaching workforce. Staneala M Beckley (PhD) Chair, Teaching Service Commission Acronyms A list of acronyms used in the manual. BoG CPD DEO ED (Form) EMIS EO EU HR HTC MBSSE MoE MoF MTHE NASSIT NCTVA NGO NIN OHS SLTU SMC TBP TC TPD TSC TSC-DD TSC-DO TSC- HQ TTC WEC Board Of Governors Continuous Professional Development District Education Officer Education (Form) Education Management Information Systems Equal Opportunities European Union Human Resources Higher Teacher Certificate Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education Ministry of Education Ministry of Finance Ministry of Technical and Higher Education National Social Security and Insurance Trust National Council for Technical, Vocational, and other Academic Awards Non-Government Organisation National Identity Number Occupational Health and Safety Sierra Leone Teacher Union School Management Committee To Be Provided Teacher Certificate Teacher Professional Development Teaching Service Commission Teaching Service Commission-District Director Teaching Service Commission-District Office Teaching Service Commission-Headquarters Teacher Training College Ward Education Committee References National policies National Teacher Policy for Sierra Leone, TSC, 2019. Professional Standards for Teachers and School Leaders in Sierra Leone, TSC, 2017 (Referred to as: the Professional Standards for Teachers and School Leaders). Code of Conduct for Teachers and other Education Personnel in Sierra Leone, Final Draft, TSC, 2019. (Referred to as: Code of Conduct). Education Act, Sierra Leone Gazette, 2004. Sierra Leone, Civil Service Code, Regulations and Rules. Teacher Mentoring: An Intensive Course for School-based Teacher Mentors, TSC 2019. Professional and academic books and articles Michael Armstrong, A Handbook of Human Resource Management Practice, 9th Edition, Kogan Page, London, 2005 (but look for the latest edition). Kathy Beevers & Andrew Rea, Learning and Development Practice, CIPD, London, 2013. Penny Hackett, Training Practice, CIPD, London, 2004/2008 Rosemary Harrison, Learning and Development, 3rd Edition, CIPD, London, 2003 (but look for the latest edition). Gerry Dessler, Human Resource Management, 11th Edition, Pearson Prentice Hall, New Jersey, 2008 (but look for the latest edition). Websites and links Cipd.co.uk – the professional body for HR and people development