By Shadrach Aziz Kamara
A major educational crisis has struck Sierra Leone as thousands of senior secondary school pupils, including students from the renowned Methodist Girls High School, have been barred from taking the 2025 West Africa Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE). The development has sparked outrage among parents, educators, and civil society groups — especially as President Julius Maada Bio continues to tout education as his administration’s flagship program.
Reports from across the country indicate that several schools failed to meet registration requirements set by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), allegedly due to unpaid examination fees, poor documentation, and administrative negligence. In many cases, students had fulfilled their academic obligations, only to discover in some cases on the eve of the exams that their names were not on the official candidate list.
One affected pupil from Methodist Girls High School expressed frustration: “We studied day and night for years, hoping to change our lives through education. Now we’re told we cannot sit the exam. What future are we being offered?”
What has fueled public anger further is the apparent silence from President Bio, whose government has long declared education as its central development priority. The President, who launched the Free Quality School Education (FQSE) initiative in 2018, has often received international praise for increasing school enrollment and access. However, critics say that access without delivery is hollow.
“How can a government claim education as a flagship when it cannot guarantee that students sit the most critical examination of their school career?” asked an education rights advocate. “This is a national failure, and the President cannot turn a blind eye.”
Civil society groups have called for an immediate investigation into the matter, including whether funds meant for examination fees under the government’s education program were misappropriated or mismanaged.
Parents and school authorities are demanding urgent intervention, warning that a generation of students may be left behind if corrective action is not taken. With no resit opportunities announced and the 2025 WASSCE already underway, hope is fading fast for those left out.
As the situation continues to unfold, many are asking whether the government’s education policies are sustainable or merely political slogans. For now, the silence from State House speaks volumes to thousands of disappointed students and their families.
