By Aminata Abu Bakarr Kamara

For decades, education has been sold as the surest path to opportunity. Parents sacrifice, students persevere, and governments invest with the promise that schooling will unlock employment and dignity. But in Sierra Leone today, a troubling reality confronts us: education is no longer guaranteeing jobs, and an entire generation is being placed on hold.

Across the country, thousands of young people graduate every year from secondary schools, technical institutes, colleges, and universities. Armed with certificates, diplomas, and degrees, they enter the job market full of hope only to meet closed doors, limited opportunities, and prolonged unemployment. For many, years pass without meaningful work. For others, education leads not to careers, but to frustration.

This disconnect between education and employment has consequences far beyond individual disappointment.

When education does not translate into jobs, confidence in the system erodes. Young people begin to question the value of schooling. Families feel betrayed by a promise that did not deliver. Society absorbs the cost through rising poverty, dependency, and social tension. A nation cannot afford to educate its youth only to abandon them at the gates of opportunity.

The problem is not that young people are unwilling to work. It is that the economy is not structured to absorb them. Sierra Leone’s job market remains narrow, heavily dependent on the public sector and limited private enterprise. Each year, the number of graduates far exceeds the number of available jobs. As a result, employment becomes a competition of connections rather than competence.

At the same time, the education system itself must shoulder responsibility. Much of what is taught remains disconnected from labour market realities. Employers often complain that graduates lack practical skills, problem-solving ability, and workplace readiness. Too many students are trained to pass exams, not to innovate, create, or adapt.

This gap is particularly painful for graduates of technical and vocational institutions, who are expected to be job-ready yet still struggle to find placements, tools, or financing. Without structured pathways into employment or entrepreneurship, even skills-based education loses its power.

The cost of this failure is visible everywhere. Educated youth selling phone credit on the streets. Degree holders riding commercial motorcycles. Graduates migrating irregularly in search of opportunity. Others fall into despair, crime, drug abuse, or political manipulation. When young people feel excluded from the economy, national stability itself is placed at risk.

What makes this crisis more urgent is Sierra Leone’s demographics. The country is young. This should be a demographic advantage a workforce capable of driving growth and innovation. Instead, without jobs, it becomes a demographic burden.

The solution does not lie in blaming young people or lowering educational aspirations. It lies in reforming the link between education, skills, and the economy.

Education must be aligned with national development priorities. Curricula should reflect market needs, emerging industries, and local opportunities. Internships, apprenticeships, and industry partnerships should no longer be optional—they must be integral. Entrepreneurship education should be practical, supported by access to credit, mentorship, and markets.

Government and the private sector must also do more to stimulate job creation. Youth employment policies must move beyond slogans and pilot projects to scalable, sustainable programs. Development must be labour-absorbing, not just capital-intensive.

Most importantly, young people must be included in shaping the solutions. Policies designed without youth voices often fail to address lived realities. A generation on hold cannot wait indefinitely.

Education should empower, not imprison hopes. If schooling continues to lead nowhere, the social contract between the state and its youth will fracture. Sierra Leone’s future depends not just on how many students we educate, but on what happens to them after graduation.

A nation that prepares its young people for life must also prepare life for its young people

Copyright –Published in Expo Times News on Monday, 9th February 2026 (ExpoTimes News – Expo Media Group (expomediasl.com)