By Hassan Osman Kargbo
National Coordinator of the Civil Rights Coalition, Alphonso Manley, has called on President Julius Maada Bio’s government to stop the Free Quality School Education programme and instead focus on recruiting more teachers and improving the country’s education system.
Manley made the call during a media engagement on the Truth Morning Devotion programme, where he raised concerns about what he described as increasing malpractice and weaknesses in Sierra Leone’s education sector.
He acknowledged that free education is a good initiative but argued that the programme has failed to address some of the major challenges facing schools.
According to Manley, the government spends about Le10 per term on each student, while parents continue to spend millions of Leones on school activities and other educational expenses.
He further alleged that some parents spend huge amounts of money to facilitate examination malpractice in an effort to help their children obtain better grades.
Manley also questioned the continued importance of the Basic Education Certificate Examination, saying the examination is no longer effectively measuring students’ academic abilities.
He noted that some students who obtain good grades or impressive aggregates in the BECE later struggle academically when they enter Senior Secondary School.
“Some students get good grades or aggregates in BECE but cannot perform well in their first year in Senior Secondary School,” he said.
Manley therefore urged the government to reconsider its approach to education and invest more in qualified teachers, teaching materials and improved learning conditions.
He maintained that the priority should be to ensure students receive quality teaching and develop the knowledge and skills needed to succeed beyond examinations.
His comments have added to the ongoing national debate over the effectiveness and sustainability of the Free Quality School Education programme, one of the government’s flagship policies.
Manley said reviewing the programme would allow the government to redirect resources towards areas that could have a more direct impact on the quality of education across the country.
