President Ernest Bai Koroma Friday registered his dissatisfaction with the issue of scandals surrounding the ministry of education, particularly the problem of "ghost teachers, ghost schools, ghost pupils," reported in the public expenditure tracking survey.

Koroma who made this statement during an impromptu visit to the ministry said: "these reports show a great level of either inefficiency or a deliberate attempt by officials to undermine progress in this country." He recalled that Sierra Leone used to be the bastion of educational development but all those laurels have disappeared.

"I need not tell you the importance of this ministry. An effective educational system means developing the human resource, with which we can still survive without depending on minerals," Koroma said adding that he would provide the commitment and political will to sustain the fight against corruption.

"We should be a nation in a hurry, because we have millennium development goals to meet. We should put the pieces together and build a new nation. We should know that we are all Sierra Leoneans and have a responsibility to build this country in our various capacities," he stated.

Giving an opportunity to members of staff to respond, the President was informed that there was no way such "ghostly" malpractices would go on without the connivance of ministry officials.

However, they were frank enough to acknowledge that the presence of the Head of State would act as a catalyst for all to change their attitudes for the better.