REETOWN — The Teaching Service Commission (TSC), operating under the Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education, has commenced the nationwide distribution of more than 7,000 rugged, solar-powered Android tablets and related equipment to schools across Sierra Leone, marking a major step in strengthening accountability within the education sector.
The rollout includes fingerprint scanners, portable solar panels and power banks, and coincides with the official launch of Sierra Leone’s first Education Attendance Monitoring System, branded “Wi De Ya.”
The initiative is part of the Government’s flagship Free Quality School Education (FQSE) programme.
Since the introduction of FQSE in 2018, the government has increased investment in education delivery, system efficiency and learning outcomes.
Despite these efforts, teacher absenteeism has continued to undermine progress. A pilot phase of the Wi De Ya system conducted in July 2020 revealed that about 25 percent of teachers were absent from duty, with nearly half of those absences lacking valid justification.
The Wi De Ya system is an app-based, biometric platform designed to record daily teacher attendance, track learner participation and needs, improve teacher management, and enhance the credibility of the teacher payroll by reducing irregularities.
Speaking during the rollout, Minister of Basic and Senior Secondary Education, Conrad Sackey, emphasized that the devices are meant to promote responsibility and improve teaching standards.
He described each tablet as a “tool for accountability,” noting that real-time attendance monitoring will help address one of the long-standing challenges affecting learning outcomes in schools.
The programme is supported through the Multi-Donor Trust Fund, with funding from the World Bank, European Union, UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), Irish Aid, and the Global Partnership for Education. Government officials say the initiative reflects a renewed commitment to strengthening teacher performance and building a more effective education system nationwide.
