EDUCATION
By Sulaiman Jalloh
Stories about kids’ safety in schools always come with mixed reactions, but if not for anything, these are topical matters that should not be treated with levity. Parents are always hopeful that their children would be very safe in schools, otherwise I am not sure anyone would be confident enough to send theirs in any school if at all the results would always be counterproductive. In summary, we must continue to ensure that schools become better and safer places for kids.
School is crucial for developing essential skills, fostering critical thinking, and preparing individuals for future success, both academically and professionally, while also contributing to a more informed and engaged citizenry.
Schools also contribute to academic and Intellectual Development, and Knowledge Acquisition and also provide a structured environment for learning various subjects, equipping students with a broad base of knowledge and understanding. School provides opportunities for students to interact with peers and learn social skills, promoting cooperation, communication, and empathy.
A preschool, also known as a nursery school or pre-primary school, is an educational establishment or learning space offering early childhood education to children before they begin compulsory education at primary school. Sometimes parents send their children to nursery schools because perhaps they don’t have to take long to business places and, or, offices during work.
In Sierra Leone, the government of President Julius Maada Bio, after the 2018 election, launched a free quality education. An agenda that is geared towards providing access to free and quality learning for children across the country, mainly those attending government and government-assisted schools. Part of the agenda was to expand the learning environment by making sure that it was safe and secure.
Recently, there have been reports of incidents in schools, thus raising concerns about the safety of children in schools. People were on Tuesday 18th March, 2025 informed about the disappearance of three nursery students attending the Pentecostal National School. A school located at the heart of Freetown, Sierra Leone’s capital. They were later discovered in a stationed vehicle at the school premises one of them had already died, leaving the one in critical condition.
This situation raised a widespread conversation among the Public. It depends on who you talk to. Marcus Bangura is the Executive Director of Citizens Forum for Democratic Accountability (C4D), who expressed frustration over the incident, saying more needs to be done to ensure Children are safe in schools. Marcus said despite being a civil society activist, he is also a relative of one of the victims, identified as Patrick. “I received a call that they had found the children and I rushed there. We checked around, and the two boys were found in an old parked car because the girl was not there,” he narrated, adding the process of investigation at the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) was very slow. He, however, urged the police to be fast-tracking their investigation in a situation like this. The civil society activist asserted that the incident was worrisome.
” I am extremely concerned, irrespective of the fact that I am connected, or related to one of the deceased children, as a civil society activist and as a citizen of Sierra Leone, it will not go down well for our children to disappear or be raped in schools” he expresses concern, adding “if we have series of incidents and it still happening, it means we are concerned and it means the schools are not secure” stressing that it is threatening the safety of schools. “We are not secure” he concluded while calling on the government to put on security measures in schools
In 2024, a report indicated that at the Filmond Preparatory school in Freetown, a teacher allegedly had sex and poisoned one eight-year-old school girl, identified as Kadija Jalloh, at the school premises. This report was not worrisome but troubling to many, especially community members.
ASP Mohammed Bobson Senu, media 2 of the Sierra Leone Police (SLP), in an interview, said every parent must be concerned about the life and safety of their children while they are in school, asserting Sierra Leone Police will do the necessary to protect every citizen and resident of the country, noting in every incident the SLP respond to calm down the situation and hence the commencement of investigation.
According to Senu, the police had arrested five individuals, including the Bishop of the Limba Pentecostal Church. “As I am speaking to you now, we have five people, including one Bishop, in custody helping the police with the investigation to ascertain the situation. And we are yet to ascertain the cause of the death because that one has to be done through autopsy,” he explained.
As things become worrisome, ASP Senu noted that police would ensure that the matter is investigated and anyone found guilty would be dealt with within the ambit of the Law and let justice be served. However, he could not give the timeliness of the investigation but assured that the police would investigate the matter speedily. He added that felonious offenses require stages of investigations while calling on citizens to exercise patience as the investigation continues.
The autopsy report revealed that the two children died as a result of suffocation but could not indicate which type of suffocation. Many believe that suffocation can vary.
In response, the Ministry of Basic and Secondary School Education (MBSSE) has closed the school for a while. The ministry says both health and infrastructural access and investigation would be made if the school reopened again.
Hon. Abdul Karim Kamara (AKK), opposition chief whip in Parliament representing the people of Kambia district, said more needs to be done in the country’s school system, especially public schools. “The school environment, education as a whole is in an appalling state,” he stated, noting running a school is fine, but protecting the kids should be more paramount. For him, the enabling environment is not there for kids to go to school, considering generators, water for the bathroom, and security, among other things he mentioned.
He argued that it is about free quality education but also the safety of students attending while suggesting that Members of Parliament should take time to look into the educational sector in the country, adding that most pre-schools (nursery schools) have abandoned or stationed vehicles in their school premises stressing that schools should be secured.
According to the lawmakers, there is a difference between the schools of the haves and have-nots, saying most of the kids could not get quality education because their parents are poor.
Hon. AKK, fondly called, is one of the MPs who are very passionate about education. Over the years, he has been very vocal in advocating for more things to be done in the education sector. He stressed that Laws should be looked into to guide those having or intending to open a school.
Copyright –Published in Expo Magazine, May-June 2025 Edition Vol.3, No.4, (ExpoTimes News – Expo Media Group (expomediasl.com)
