President Julius Maada Bio’s flagship Free Quality Education (FQE) program- long hailed as the jewel of his administration -is now at risk of unraveling, as teachers across Sierra Leone today began a nationwide strike over unpaid salaries, subsidy arrears, and broken government promises.
The Sierra Leone Teachers Union (SLTU) confirmed that the strike is effective in schools nationwide, leaving classrooms empty on what should have been the first day of the new academic year. The union said the action was unavoidable after months of dialogue and repeated assurances from top officials, including Vice President Dr. Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh, failed to deliver results.
In a strongly worded statement, SLTU President Ibrahim B. Kargbo said the strike is not only about teachers’ welfare but also about safeguarding the future of Sierra Leone’s children. He accused the Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education (MBSSE) of spreading “misleading and incorrect” information, insisting that many of the union’s demands remain unmet.
The SLTU highlighted several critical issues fueling the strike, including unpaid school fee subsidies for the second and third terms of the 2024/2025 academic year, which government promised to pay in September; delayed first-term subsidies for the 2025/2026 school year, with payments expected only “during the course of the term”; and the failure to reinstate more than 1,800 suspended teachers to the payroll, leaving many without salaries despite assurances from the Ministry of Finance. The union also cited slow recruitment and reassessment of teachers as factors weakening the system and undermining classroom learning nationwide.
The government, however, maintains that the situation is under control. In a September 4 statement, Permanent Secretary Brima M. Sowa announced that backlog subsidies had been paid and committees established to address remaining concerns. He said schools would reopen as scheduled on September 8, framing the negotiations as a “fruitful engagement” between the state and the SLTU. But the union disputes this version of events, insisting that only partial payments were made and that many promises remain unfulfilled.
Joseph Fitzgerald Kamara, former Attorney General and flagbearer aspirant of the All People’s Congress (APC), has condemned the nationwide school shutdown. In a Facebook post, he said the crisis is “no accident, but the result of a government that has failed its teachers and betrayed public trust,” warning that Sierra Leone’s educational foundation is at risk of collapse.
He stressed that education is a right and the cornerstone of progress, urging the government to restore subsidies and recognize teachers as nation-builders.
The strike has also attracted solidarity from the Sierra Leone Labour Congress (SLLC), which expressed concern that government inaction is undermining its own flagship education policy. In a statement released today, the Labour Congress called on the government to swiftly address the teachers’ demands to allow schools to reopen, warning that failure to act would jeopardize the future of Sierra Leone’s children.
The strike’s immediate impact underscores the fragility of Bio’s flagship initiative. Since its launch in 2018, the Free Quality Education program has been his administration’s proudest policy, winning international praise and donor support. Yet critics argue that today’s disruption exposes the disconnect between political rhetoric and everyday reality.
“How can we talk about free education when teachers are unpaid and classrooms are at a standstill?”Parents in Freetown have questioned. “This crisis undermines the very foundation of the president’s flagship agenda.”
As schools remain closed, the strike threatens not only to derail the academic year but also to deliver a damaging blow to the credibility of Bio’s most celebrated program.
