By Albert David
When a government declares a “Year of Action,” citizens reasonably expect transparency, institutional efficiency, and a renewed commitment to public accountability. Yet the prolonged closure of the Tertiary Education Commission (TEC) since December, on the orders of the Minister of Technical and Higher Education, has raised troubling questions about governance, legality, and the shrinking space for civic oversight in Sierra Leone.
The TEC is not a private office. It is an institution established by an Act of Parliament, an institution meant to serve the public, regulate higher education, and safeguard academic standards. Its closure, without clear public explanation, has left students, universities, and the broader education sector in limbo. And the silence surrounding this issue is becoming louder than any official statement.
The appearance of TEC and Ministry officials before the Parliamentary Committee on Higher Education should have been an opportunity for clarity. Instead, Standing Order 75 was invoked by Hon. Sahr Emmerson Lamina, effectively barring the media from reporting the proceedings.
In a democracy, parliamentary oversight is not a private ritual. It is a public safeguard. When the media is excluded from matters of national importance, especially those involving allegations, public institutions, and ministerial authority, it signals a worrying drift toward opacity. Observers argue that this move undermines press freedom, restricts civic space, and deprives citizens of their right to know how their institutions are being governed. Transparency is not a luxury, it is a democratic obligation.
The TEC was closed following a petition by staff against the Commission’s Chair, Prof. Alghali, alleging misconduct including double-dipping. The Chair has denied all allegations. In any functional democracy, such disputes are resolved through due process, not through institutional paralysis. Instead of an independent investigation, the public has witnessed months of silence, administrative stagnation, and now, a blackout on parliamentary scrutiny. This raises a fundamental question: Can a minister unilaterally shut down an institution created by Parliament and, by extension, the people of Sierra Leone?
Legal experts, civil society actors, and governance analysts have long warned that executive overreach, whether real or perceived, erodes institutional integrity and weakens democratic norms. When institutions become vulnerable to political discretion rather than guided by law, the entire governance architecture becomes unstable.
Sierra Leone’s education sector is already burdened by limited resources, infrastructural gaps, and systemic challenges. The TEC’s closure only deepens these wounds. Universities cannot receive timely accreditation support. Students face uncertainty. Policy reforms stall. And the nation’s long-term development goals suffer.
Education is not merely a sector, it is the foundation of national progress. When it is neglected, politicized, or sidelined, the consequences ripple across generations.
The TEC saga is not an isolated incident. It fits into a broader pattern that many journalists, civil society organizations, and governance observers have described as: misleading public narratives, manipulative political communication, press freedom restrictions, and institutional intimidation, erosion of civic oversight, and a worrying tolerance for opacity over accountability. These trends do not strengthen a nation. They weaken it. They undermine public trust, distort democratic processes, and create an environment where power becomes insulated from scrutiny.
Citizens did not vote for silence. They did not vote for closed institutions. They did not vote for shrinking civic space or suppressed media. They did not vote for a governance culture where legality becomes negotiable and accountability becomes optional. They voted for progress, integrity, transparency, and a government that respects the institutions created to serve the people.
Sierra Leone stands at a crossroads. The TEC issue is more than an administrative dispute, it is a test of democratic maturity. Restoring public confidence requires Immediate transparency about why the TEC remains closed. A lawful, independent investigation into the allegations against the Chair. Respect for parliamentary openness and media access. Clear boundaries between ministerial authority and statutory institutions, and a renewed commitment to protecting civic space and press freedom.
Democracy is not sustained by slogans. It is sustained by actions, consistent, principled, and accountable actions.The question now is not merely “Can a minister close a parliamentary institution?”. The deeper question is: What kind of democracy does Sierra Leone aspire to be?
