Freetown, Sierra Leone – With schools set to reopen on September 8, 2025, the Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education (MBSSE) has convened a high-level meeting with key government partners to address long-standing challenges in the management and safety of school buses.
The discussions, held at the MBSSE Headquarters in Freetown, involved senior officials from the Ministries of Finance, Local Government, and Transport and Aviation, as well as Chief Administrators from Local Councils nationwide.
According to Augustine Koroma, National Coordinator of the Free Quality School Education (FQSE) Programme, last year’s monitoring exercises uncovered serious problems, including poor oversight of bus operations and safety lapses that put pupils at risk.
“To ensure a smoother school transport system this year, we are joining forces with other ministries and agencies to fix these issues and guarantee the safe movement of pupils,” Koroma said.
The meeting was chaired by the Minister of Basic and Senior Secondary Education, Hon. Conrad Sackey, and attended by the Deputy Minister of Finance, the Deputy Minister of Local Government, MBSSE’s Deputy Minister 1, the Chief Education Officer, and senior officials from the Ministry of Transport.
