Confusion is mounting in senior secondary schools across Sierra Leone as the Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education struggles to implement its New Curriculum Framework, a reform designed to modernize the education system but now mired in uncertainty.
Introduced in 2023, the new curriculum was intended to expand student choice and improve specialization. However, two years later, schools report widespread disruption as teachers and pupils navigate overlapping syllabuses and unclear policy direction.
“We were introduced to the new curriculum in SSS1, but later in SSS2 we were told to go back to the old curriculum. That means we’ve spent two wasted years,” a student at Collegiate School in Freetown told Truth Media.
Education officials have yet to clarify whether the reform will continue, be revised, or scrapped entirely. Teachers’ unions and parent groups have expressed frustration over the lack of communication, warning that the inconsistency risks undermining exam preparation and learning outcomes.
The government has promoted the New Curriculum Framework as part of its Free Quality School Education initiative, launched in 2018 to improve access and standards across the public education system. But critics say the current confusion reflects deeper administrative and logistical weaknesses in curriculum delivery.
The Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education has not yet issued an official statement on how it plans to address the disruptions.
By Joshua Fynn
