By Hassan I. Conteh

Sierra Leone still lags behind other nations in the world in the 21st century technology revolution.

Once the Athens of West Africa, Sierra Leone is not even at the bottom of the table in world’s universities ranking.

The science schools which used to produce doctors, nurses, engineers, electricians, architects, geologists, and scientists are now almost turned to interior dustbins.

The missionary schools built by early European Christians have not been given a facelift by successive governments over the years.

For example, Grammar school and Prince of Wales in Freetown, Schlenker in Port Loko, Bo school, Murialdo school and Our Lady of Guadalupe school in Lunsar are shining examples of science schools that used to perform exceedingly in public exams.

Since these schools had had equipped science laboratories, pupils (boys and girls) graduating from these schools were very competent in science practicals.

But today, it is sad that the glory of these schools has long faded in the horizon.

Unlike Rwanda Paul Kagame who is investing heavily on Rwanda pupils and students in his country in sciences and technology, Sierra Leone’s Ahmed Tejan Kabba, Ernest Bai Koroma and Julius Maada Bio have woefully failed to retool old lab centers and modernize sciences in schools under their leadership after the country’s civil war.

Sierra Leone seems not to have taken the ‘right approach’ in providing quality education to young and old Sierra Leoneans after the civil war.

How many people now leaving other African countries coming to study in Sierra Leone like in 1890s?

Have Sierra Leoneans checked to know how much our governments have been spending on education since the war ended in 2002?

Despite a ‘Ghost Teachers’ scheme was launched by former president Koroma, there were and there are still some ‘old century Algebra’ teachers teaching today’s savvy tech- pupils and students in schools and colleges.

In 2018, president Bio unveiled a free and quality education for school going children in Sierra Leone.

Since its operation, there have been pluses and minuses in the system as some parents would voice praises on government while others would raise concerns of exploitation by teachers in schools.

Offering a free education without quality in the system is almost synonymous to added ignorance on high school passing children.

University enrollment figures have dramatically increased over the past few years, government would admit.

But are many of these students being exposed to any science experiments or can they better scribble a computer keyboard?

President Bio’s government says it is spending 277 billion leones in examination fees, and it totals the cost of buying books and that it has been building more schools across the country, something that justifies government’s free education project.

But are these schools having science labs, computer labs or running cafes, good furniture, gardens, play grounds, modern libraries?

All governments that have ruled Sierra Leone share the blame in this regard—that is failing to provide science labs, computer division and open space gardens in schools. Most schools aren’t decent enough as dust fills classrooms and compounds.

Throughout late president Ahmed Tejan Kabba and ex-president Ernest Bai Koroma, there had never been a school with well-equipped science lab and computer division in any of the public schools in Sierra Leone.

In 2015, government opened a floodgate of schools privatization. Public-assisted schools built by European Christian missionaries like The Annie Walsh Memorial School, Grammar School, opted to go private.

Since teachers and pupils of these public assisted schools were not having sound facilities like co-teachers in private schools like Limount College, Lebanese, John F. Kennedy International Academy, International School, and Modern High school in Freetown, etc, some government assisted schools built by some missionaries in the past asked government to grant them private status.

Few government assisted schools like The Albert Academy School, however; initially backed off moves to go private as civil society and citizens’ fears grew in strength for the possibility of over exploitation in schools such as school authorities asking parents to pay huge finances for their children.

Currently, the free education in the country is yet to deliver the desired results as schools are not helped to embrace science and technology innovation.

Since modern science and technology go side by side and it is the world’s growing call of the hour, it behooves the next president of Sierra Leone to take a rethinking in the country’s education journey.

Otherwise, if government of Sierra Leone and donour partners continues to pour huge money on education without a ‘right sci-tech approach’, Sierra Leone will never be proud of having quality graduates who will match up with the global trend of 21st century technology revolution.