Member of Parliament Abdul K. Kamara, also known as AKK, is urging the president to raise the school subsidy from NLe 30 to NLe 300 per child.

He says this change would give more support to schools, ease the burden on parents, and help improve the learning environment for children across the country.

AKK’s appeal builds on the Free Quality School Education programme, which allows only government and government-assisted schools to receive a per-child subsidy each term. These subsidies are currently NLe 10,000 for primary schools, NLe 50,000 for junior secondary schools, and NLe 60,000 for senior secondary schools. The amount is calculated based on enrolment and is meant to reduce education costs for families and help schools meet needs like books, materials, furniture, and maintenance.

In 2020, the government paid over Le 10,000 per child in pre-primary and primary school, Le 50,000 per junior secondary student, and Le 60,000 per senior secondary student for one term. The total support for all levels reached more than Le 42 billion for nearly two million pupils.

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The Free Quality School Education initiative also provides learning materials, classroom furniture, teacher salaries, and other resources to improve school systems across the country.

Despite these efforts, some challenges remain. Schools have reported delays in receiving subsidies, affecting their ability to pay for basic needs and forcing some to withhold report cards at the end of the term. In the 2022 national budget, the education sector received funding that included allocations for subsidies, school feeding, examination fees, teaching materials, and school infrastructure.

 

He is asking for a tenfold increase in the current school subsidy, from NLe 30 to NLe 300 per child. He says boosting this support would make a real difference for families and schools, since many children still struggle with rising costs and incomplete funding for education.