By Ibrahim S. Bangura
Sierra Leone: Seven years after the launch of President Julius Maada Bio’s flagship Free Quality Education (FQE) initiative, Freetown Mayor Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr has delivered a scathing critique of the program’s implementation, citing unfulfilled promises, infrastructural neglect, and misplaced government priorities.
Speaking in a recent interview with Liberty TV, Mayor Aki-Sawyerr acknowledged the noble intentions behind the FQE initiative but argued that its execution has fallen short due to overambition and inadequate planning. “The critical question is: have those promises made during that BBC interview been achieved? The answer is certainly not—definitely not,” she stated, referencing President Bio’s 2018 pledge to revolutionize education.
The Mayor highlighted several structural flaws in the program, including unrealistic commitments to provide uniforms, shoes, and bags to two million pupils without a viable financial framework. “When you multiply those promises by the actual cost, it becomes clear that there was no realistic budget or financial pathway to deliver them,” she explained.
Infrastructure deficits remain a major concern. Aki-Sawyerr noted that increased school enrollment has not been matched by expansions in classroom space, furniture, or basic amenities. “Classrooms without power, no running water, and overcrowded conditions” are common, she said, based on council assessments.
Teacher welfare also came under scrutiny. The Mayor pointed out that educators have faced persistent salary delays since 2018, with minimal pay increases despite rising living costs. A recent parliamentary report revealed stark disparities in government spending, with significant salary hikes for ministers and the presidency, while teachers received negligible increments. “Clearly, teachers have not been prioritized,” she observed.
Aki-Sawyerr also criticized the weakening of local government’s role in education. She argued that councils, which are closest to schools and communities, receive irregular and insufficient funding. “What can realistically be achieved with such meager resources?” she asked, citing the Regent’s Road Municipal School as an example of neglected infrastructure.
As schools prepare to reopen, the Mayor warned of looming disruptions. Teachers, unpaid for July, are threatening strike action over delayed subsidies and salaries. She also highlighted exam failures, including the omission of thousands of WASSCE candidates, as evidence of systemic breakdowns.
Despite donor support from institutions like the World Bank, Aki-Sawyerr raised concerns about accountability and transparency in fund utilization. She contrasted the FQE program with the city’s successful tree-planting initiative, which saw 1.2 million trees planted under audited tracking. “Ambition is good, but it must be matched with a system that measures performance and holds institutions accountable,” she said, urging the Chief Minister to publish data on enrollment, infrastructure, and learning materials.
The Mayor also criticized government spending priorities, citing overspending on travel and executive offices while education remains underfunded. She shared her own travel policy for fund utilization. She contrasted the FQE program with the city’s successful tree-planting initiative, which saw 1.2 million trees planted under audited tracking. “Ambition is good, but it must be matched with a system that measures performance and holds institutions accountable,” she said, urging the Chief Minister to publish data on enrollment, infrastructure, and learning materials.
The Mayor also criticized government spending priorities, citing overspending on travel and executive offices while education remains underfunded. She shared her own travel policy, which limits international, which limits international trips to those fully trips to those fully funded by inviting funded by inviting organizations.
Drawing parallels to the city’s proposed to the city’s proposed cable car system cable car system, which underwent a full feasibility study before submission to the Ministry to the Ministry of Finance, Aki-Sawyerr emphasized the importance of upfront planning in education. “This kind of advanced planning is exactly what has been missing in the Free Quality Education program,” she said.
“Free Quality Education is in the interest of all Sierra Leoneans. Raising concerns about its implementation should not be seen as an attack on government but as a constructive contribution,”
With strikes looming and public confidence waning, she called for urgent action, transparency and a realignment of priorities to ensure the program delivers on its promises.