The Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education (MBSSE) has recently shared a comprehensive overview of the significant milestones being achieved by the Sierra Leone Free Education Project Secretariat (SL-FEPS) between January 2021 and March 2025.

The initiative, which aims to enhance educational governance, quality, and accessibility, has successfully implemented several key policies such as the Education Sector Plan (ESP) 2022-2026 and the School Catchment Area Policy.

These policy developments have laid a strong foundation for improving the educational landscape, particularly in terms of ensuring that children get equitable access to education across the country.

One notable success is the School Catchment Area App which has played a vital role in addressing overcrowding and guiding decisions on new school establishments.

In addition to policy advancements, the Free Education Project has been heavily focused on improving teacher management and professional development.

For example, the Teacher Management Information System (TMIS) has streamlined processes such as teacher licensing, employment records, and grievance redress mechanisms, thereby ensuring a more accountable workforce. Moreover, the “WE DEY YA” platform has been used to address teachers’ absenteeism and payroll frauds, thus resulting in the promotion of over 1,700 teachers based on performance evaluations.

Through extensive training, more than 57,000 teachers across the nation have enhanced their teaching practices, with 85% showing marked improvement in classroom performance.

The project has also made significant investments in school infrastructure and gender-based violence (GBV) prevention in the country.

Over 5,000 schools receive Performance-Based Financing (PBF) grants meant to improve learning materials, support students with disabilities, and enhance school management. The project also saw the construction of 279 classrooms, the renovation of 750 dilapidated schools, and the establishment of WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene) facilities which have benefited over 1 million students, including 525,000 girls countrywide.

In addition, efforts to combat School-Related Gender-Based Violence (SRGBV) included the development of a GBV Action Plan and the creation of a Toll-Free Reporting Line.