APC Never Supported Education – State House Communications Director

The Director of Communications at State House, Myk Berewa, has stated that the All People’s Congress (APC) has never demonstrated genuine support for education in Sierra Leone.

Speaking on SLiK TV, Berewa said that even the secondary school attended by former President Ernest Bai Koroma is currently undergoing renovation under the Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) administration, alongside several other educational institutions across the country. He stressed that education remains the SLPP’s flagship programme.

Berewa further explained that when the SLPP assumed office, the education sector was operating under a double-shift system due to inadequate classroom space.

According to him, the SLPP government recognised the need to construct additional classrooms in order to transition the system to a single-shift model that would improve teaching and learning outcomes.

On the issue of the increased national wage bill, Berewa defended the government’s decision, noting that without such an increment, key public servants including teachers, health workers, and members of the armed forces would have been severely affected.

He maintained that the SLPP’s policies and investments clearly demonstrate its long-standing commitment to strengthening education and improving the welfare of essential service providers in Sierra Leone.

After winning the 2018 election, President Julius Maada Bio embarked on massive re-enrolment scheme for out-of-school pupils in primary and secondary schools across the Sierra Leone. His administration apportioned a large bulk of their budget on making education free for pupils in primary and secondary schools. The initiative saw thousands of pupils returning to school.

However, critics blame the Bio administration of dismissing constraints faced by education authorities. Last week, school reopenings were delayed after school authorities demand for backlog of school subsidies accrued for over six months. Schools reopened after a week delay when the government settled part of their arrears to schools.