The National Program Coordinator of the Free Quality School Education (FQSE) program, Augustine Moses Koroma, has confirmed that all five core commitments under President Bio’s flagship education initiative have been fully delivered since its launch in 2018.
The commitments include:
- Payment of school fees for all pupils in government and government-assisted schools from pre-primary to senior secondary level
- Payment of public examination fees
- Provision of core textbooks
- Supply of teaching and learning materials
- Expansion of the school feeding program
Mr. Koroma also highlighted major achievements in the education sector over the past seven years. These include the approval of 3,000 new schools, recruitment of 12,000 teachers, a rise in school enrollment from 37% to 85%, distribution of 94 containers of learning materials, construction or renovation of 538 primary schools, 367 school expansions, and a 40% increase in teacher salaries. He added that primary education expenditure has risen from 27% to 92%, with retention rates now at 129%.
Other policies driving the transformation include the Radical Inclusion Policy, School Catchment Policy, Integrated Early Childhood Development Policy, and a comprehensive School Feeding Policy.
Civil Society Commends Girls’ Enrollment Gains
Meanwhile, Mariama Khai Fornah, CEO of Moving Women for Sustainable Development Sierra Leone, praised the government for its commitment to girls’ education. She said the Free Quality Education program, alongside new school construction, inclusive policies, and feeding programs, has led to a historic increase in female enrollment and academic performance.
“More girls are in school today than ever before, and they are performing better in public exams,” she noted.
By Mohamed Kamara
