By Alisious Ligurie Matthew Kongo: Liberty Online TV
Schools across Sierra Leone are set to reopen in the coming week after a long break. But looming over the new academic year is uncertainty, as teachers threaten strike action over unpaid subsidies. In Freetown, Mayor Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr, under whose supervision the city’s municipal schools operate, has voiced deep concerns about the government’s commitment to its flagship Free Quality Education (FQE) program.
Speaking on Liberty Online TV’s Breakfast Show, the Mayor did not mince words, stressing that while the vision of FQE is admirable, the reality on the ground tells a different story.
“Our parents are suffering, teachers are still owed their July salaries, and schools only received one quarter of the 2.6 billion Leones allocated last year for 806 schools,” she said. “The free quality education was launched with big promises, but it has missed many of the tangible things needed to make it work.”
Mayor Aki-Sawyerr noted that while FQE has successfully brought more children into schools, the problems currently outweigh the benefits. From delayed subsidies and unpaid salaries to decaying infrastructure, she painted a sobering picture. “School subsidies come just once a year, many teachers go unpaid, and classrooms are deteriorating. Even as a municipality, we cannot cover the wide gaps left behind,” she explained.
The Mayor emphasized that education goes beyond enrollment. Many schools lack access to electricity, clean water, and sanitation. Infrastructure repair budgets are missing, while prices of basic school materials like bags and textbooks have skyrocketed, pushing parents further into hardship.
“In spite of the good intentions, the implementation has fallen short. You cannot promise shoes, bags, and other support without a clear budget and funding source. The system is over-ambitious, and accountability is in question,” she added.
She also criticized the government’s spending priorities, pointing out that education should take center stage as part of the country’s human capital development. “Government is a prioritizing enterprise. Leaders must choose where to invest. Unfortunately, more is spent on other things than on education,” she said.
The Mayor further lamented that councils like hers have been sidelined in the education process. “Our role as councils has been reduced. We have become more like spectators than supporters in the implementation of education policies,” she said.
Despite her criticisms, Aki-Sawyerr insisted her concerns are not an attack on the government but a plea for urgent action. “We want to see the President’s ambition for Free Quality Education materialize. But for that to happen, subsidies must be paid on time, schools must be repaired, and the Sierra Leone Teachers Union must be engaged so that these same issues do not repeat every year.”
In her closing plea, the Mayor urged the government to treat education as a genuine priority, warning that failure to do so leaves the nation’s youth vulnerable. She emphasizes that if the Government don’t educate our young people, there is high risk losing them to drugs and hopelessness. Human capital should the greatest investment.
