By Mohamed Kamara
The President of the Global Youth Action situated at Bai Bureh Road in the Eastern part of Freetown, Mr. Ahmed Jalloh in an exclusive interview with this medium has highlighted challenges in the implementation of the Free Quality Education (FQE) program of the SLPP led government.
“While we appreciate progress made in the Free Quality Education (FQE) program, we should also not underestimate the challenges it has created,” said Mr. Jalloh, adding that, to fully achieve the Human Capital Development in the country, government needs to pay special attention in monitoring the implementation of the Free Quality Education program especially in remote areas. Mr. Jalloh further said that, the universities in the country are currently faced with accommodation and other facilities. He called on the government and other authorities to construct more structures to accommodate the growing number of qualified students to gain admission at the universities. Mr. Jalloh said the introduction of College Examination for WASSCE holders has also saw a lot of repercussion to the would be students. He said for the just concluded WASSCE result indicated that more than 45,000 intending WASSCE holders could not enter university because of lack of space.
Mr. Jalloh said, “Imagine what will be their confidence to face college examination after a year or two of waiting couple with new credit holder”. Jalloh appealed to the college administration to revisit their decision in support of the FQE objectives. Jalloh said trained and qualified teachers are still worried about their Pin-Code approvals. He has also called on the government of Sierra Leone to give more subvention to the Basic and Senior Secondary Education Ministry to minimize the gap or else that will lead the teachers to be ill-motivated to teach their pupils.
“Most primary and secondary schools are not only facing space problems but most of them are facing insanitary conditions,” he said, stating further that, most schools lack sufficient chairs and tables for the pupils.
