By Ishmail Saidu Kanu
At least 238 out of 252 registered Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions across Sierra Leone did not receive government subvention in the 2024 financial year, leaving a funding gap of NLe4,125,000, according to the 2024 Auditor-General’s Report.
The report notes that despite repeated recommendations in previous audits, the Ministry of Technical and Higher Education failed to provide financial support to the majority of TVET institutions.
The absence of subvention, the auditors warned, has seriously affected the ability of these institutions to deliver quality training to students, a situation that could result in a growing shortage of middle-level manpower in the country.
The Auditor-General recommended that the Permanent Secretary should engage the Ministry of Finance to secure sustainable funding to support effective and nationwide TVET operations.
In a related finding, the report revealed that the TVET Inter-Ministerial Coordinating Committee (IMCC) has remained non-functional five years after the approval of the TVET Policy in 2019.
No documentary evidence, such as minutes or reports, was provided to confirm that the committee had been operational.
Although management acknowledged ongoing collaboration among ministers responsible for Human Capital Development, the audit noted that the Director of TVET failed to provide documentary evidence of such meetings, leaving the issue unresolved.
The report also pointed out that TVET institutions were not effectively monitored and supervised, contrary to Clause 6.2 of the TVET Policy of 2019.
Auditors observed that the Ministry did not carry out monitoring and supervision of TVET programmes during the period under review.
To address these challenges, the Auditor-General recommended that the Director of Monitoring and Evaluation, in collaboration with the Director of TVET, should ensure regular monitoring and supervision of TVET institutions, with proper documentation retained for audit purposes
