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The Minister of Basic and Senior Secondary Education (MBSSE), Mr. Conrad Sackey, has intervened to secure school admission for 15-year-old Abubakarr Jalloh, a student who had remained out of school due to misinformation regarding admission fees and placement procedures.
On Friday, January 26, the Minister confirmed that Jalloh had officially resumed his studies at the Albert Academy Senior Secondary School, ending a period of uncertainty for the family.
The case gained public attention after Jalloh’s mother, Famata Sesay, appeared on a media broadcast with the Africa Young Voices (AYV) network. Ms. Sesay had reportedly been misled by a neighbor who claimed she was required to pay NLe 4,000 to secure a Senior Secondary School admission for her son.
Unable to raise the funds and facing logistical challenges with the school originally assigned to her son, the child was kept at home.
Responding to the incident, Minister Sackey issued a stern clarification regarding government policy. “Let me be clear: no parent should ever be asked to pay money to secure a government school placement,” Sackey stated.
The intervention required the Ministry to navigate established academic regulations. Jalloh had sat for the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) and obtained an aggregate score of 18. This score did not meet the Albert Academy’s strict cut-off aggregate of 16.
According to the Ministry, the school administration initially raised “valid administrative concerns,” noting that the student had missed the cut-off mark and that the window for concessionary admissions had passed.
However, following a meeting with the family and Ministry leadership, a decision was made to prioritize the child’s access to education.
“We did not abandon our policies; we applied them with human understanding,” Minister Sackey said regarding the decision to override the cut-off. “We reviewed the circumstances and reaffirmed our responsibility. While we will not breach our rules, we will always respond to prevailing circumstances to protect a child’s right to education.”
Back in the Classroom Jalloh has now been placed in the “Arts One” stream at Albert Academy and has expressed a desire to become a lawyer.
Minister Sackey used the successful resolution of this case to remind the public of the Ministry’s Education Call Centre. He urged parents facing difficulties or extortion attempts to call 8060 for direct government assistance rather than relying on third-party information.
“This case is a clear reminder that the Ministry remains accessible, responsive, and solution-driven,” Sackey added. “We are building an education system where every child, regardless of past setbacks, can rise, thrive, and contribute to the nation’s future.”
