Freetown — Protecting the credibility of Sierra Leone’s education system dominated discussions on Wednesday at a special civic town hall, where the Minister of Technical and Higher Education urged universities and colleges to tighten oversight and adopt technology to curb malpractice.
The event, a Special Edition Civic Town Hall held at the Miatta Civic Centre, was hosted by Information and Civic Education Minister Chernor Bah. Keynote speaker Dr. Haja Ramatulai Wurie addressed the theme “How Do We Address the Threats to Quality Education in Sierra Leone?”, focusing on examination fraud, institutional accountability, technology use and the verification of academic credentials.
Drawing on her previous roles as a university lecturer, head of department and dean, Wurie said she had seen first-hand the pressures facing higher education institutions. While policies and sanctions against misconduct already exist, she argued that stronger enforcement and clearer accountability are essential to maintain standards.
She described examination malpractice as a danger that must not be allowed to become accepted practice. Students in tertiary institutions are future professionals and leaders, she noted, and tolerating dishonesty now risks carrying those habits into workplaces and public life.
Recalling her own zero-tolerance stance as a lecturer, Wurie called on institutions to adopt the same firm approach and to help students understand the lasting damage caused by academic cheating.
Technology offers a practical path forward, the minister said. She pointed to pilot projects using multifunctional ICT centres where students can sit electronic examinations. Randomised question banks would give each candidate a different set of items, reducing opportunities for collusion. Artificial intelligence could handle the marking of multiple-choice and short-answer questions, with lecturers and department heads retaining oversight for quality control. These measures, she explained, would limit human interference while boosting efficiency, transparency and accountability.
Wurie also highlighted the problem of fraudulent degrees. Authorities must rigorously verify certificates, she insisted, so that only genuine qualifications open doors to professional and leadership roles. Individuals who obtain or present fake credentials should understand that such conduct will not be tolerated.
Closing her remarks, the minister stressed that safeguarding education quality is a shared responsibility. Sierra Leone cannot afford weakened academic standards at a time when graduates are preparing to take on critical roles. Sustained action against examination malpractice, tighter qualification checks and wider use of digital tools are needed, she said, to keep the system transparent, accountable and credible.
