A few years ago, free quality education in Sierra Leone was unthinkable. There were overcrowded classrooms, poor infrastructure, and low enrolment painted a bleak picture of the education system in the country. Many children were left out of school, and thousands of teachers were untrained and unqualified.

Consequently, when His Excellency President Dr. Julius Maada Bio acceded to power in April 2018, he gave insights on the attack on education caused by the regrettable decade-long civil war in Sierra Leone and the positive strides his government was making to project education and get "Justice for Victims."

At international podiums, President Bio highlighted the crucial role of education in nation-building and resilience and urged the global community to unite, protect, and prioritise education for every child, especially for conflict zones.

Since President Bio introduced the Free Quality School Education (FQSE) as his flagship Programme, his government continues to pursue universal access to education in a safe environment as a fundamental human right. The government’s data-driven policies and actions on education and radical inclusion have continued to gain global traction, and it seems to be redoubling efforts towards building the country's human capital base through its Free Quality School Education Programme.

Through President Bio's incessant appeals to the global community to unite, protect, and prioritise education for every child, especially the conflict zones, the Sierra Leone's Free Education Project Secretariat (FEPS) of the Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education (MBSSE) was established by the government. FEPS is a 5-year (August 2020 - September 2025) multidonor support to Sierra Leone's Free Quality School Education Programme with the development objective to improve Management of the Education Sector, Teaching Practices and Learning Conditions.

Under the indefatigable leadership of President Bio and the coordination of FEPS Coordinator, Mr. Ambrose T. Sesay, the Free Education Project has not only delivered, but it has also ensured that Sierra Leone achieved in 2025 what was planned for 2027.

Among the deliverables, FEPS has delivered Digital School Planning Assessments; Training of over 57, 000 teachers; Renovation of 750 schools and construction of new classrooms and hostels; Health and Safety Support for 2.4 million pupils; and, Stronger Literacy Programmes for young learners and out-of-school children.

The impacts of what FEPS has delivered in five years have been very massive. While there was low enrolment in schools that painted a bleak picture of our education system, for instance, the current attendance of pupils has soared, with most schools surpassing the 85% benchmark. Over 1 million children are now learning in safe, m9dern environments.
Because FEPS has exceeded its targets ahead of schedule, Sierra Leone is being praised as a model for educational reforms in Africa. This is not just progress - it's a national transformation and a living promise that the future of
Sierra Leone's children will be brighter than their past.
In spite of FEPS' conspicuous achievement in exceeding its targets ahead of schedule, the Manager of Rolaan Enterprise of 55 Mcdonald Street in Freetown, whose bid was not successful at the Technical Education Committee to proceed to the next stage has deliberately taken to using newspapers and the social media to disseminate misconceptions and misinformation about FEPS in order to damage the reputation of the institution.