Sierra Leone's brand-new old action plan for education

Ten years ago, when Ernest Bai Koroma, President Julius Maada Bio's predecessor, launched his plan to meet a 2015 Millennium Development Goal, a grant agreement for US$13.9 million had been reached with the International Monetary Fund.

With just under $14 million, Koroma hoped to get a lot done.

The nation needed to keep more than 300,000 school-age children in school; have enough money to pay more than 20,000 teachers working in 3,430 primary schools, and employ another five thousand teachers, despite the staff ‘ceilings’ agreed with the International Monetary Fund.

During the 2018 general elections, Julius Maada Bio, presidential candidate for the Sierra Leone People's Party (SLPP)  said it costs about nine dollars per child per year to attend a government or government-funded primary school. That translates into $22 million for all school-aged children in the country, one commentator said.



At the state opening of Parliament, President Maada Bio announced that the government will deliver his free education campaign promise this September.

Bio has reportedly earmarked 20 percent of the national budget, or about US$14 million dollars, for the free education program. About the same amount of money in Koroma's education budget.

Still, parents are looking forward to having more money in their pockets.


Zainab Dumbuya, whose husband is a hospital guard, says "the pay he gets for the month is barely enough to take care of the household expenses (and) our little boy's school fees. With free education, I rest assured that my boy can be educated without putting us through hell." 

"This has brought a smile to my face, as my children nearly dropped out of school because I couldn't pay their school fees," said Ramatu Turay, a single mother with three sons. "I'm certain that this free education project is going to help us and I pray it bears a good fruit." 

The number of school-aged children – six to eighteen years – is estimated at 2.4 million according to data from Statistics Sierra Leone.



For Young Life in Freetown, I'm Inyilla Borteh Conteh reporting.

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