By Rose Aba Akafo and Ellen Samura
The reopening of schools on Monday was overshadowed by a strike action called by the Sierra Leone Teachers Union (SLTU), leaving thousands of pupils without classes on the first day of the 2025/2026 academic year.
The SLTU accuses the government of failing to pay school fee subsidies for the second and third terms of the 2024/2025 academic year. It also says that a significant number of teachers suspended from the payroll were yet to be reinstated.
In a statement released Sept. 4, the Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education (MBSSE) said the union’s concerns had been addressed during a high-level meeting chaired by the vice president. The ministry further said backlog subsidies had been released to schools and assured the public that the 2025/2026 school calendar would not be disrupted.
But the union rejected that claim, describing the ministry’s statement as “misleading and incorrect.” In a directive issued Sept. 5, the SLTU instructed all teachers to “stay at home” until government meets their demands.
Fritong Post’s Rose Aba Akafo and Ellen Samura had been monitoring the situation, paying visits to selected schools in Freetown. At the Freetown Secondary School for Girls (FSSG), pupils — particularly those newly admitted into JSS 1 — were seen roaming the compound. Though a few teachers were present, no learning took place. Pupils were kept on the premises until the stipulated closing time at 2 p.m.
At St. Joseph’s Secondary School, pupils were allowed to leave after it became clear no lessons would be held. The situation at St. Edward’s Secondary School was described as “worse,” with no teachers on site and some classrooms locked.
Similar scenes played out at Albert Academy, Government Model Secondary School, Government Rokel Secondary School, and UMC Junior Secondary School, where lessons failed to hold. Teachers declined to requests for interviews. Even school staff gave no clear indication of when classes might resume.
Parents and pupils expressed deep frustration. “We bought new uniforms and books, hoping our children would start learning today, but they came back with nothing,” said Mariama Kamara, a mother of two at Government Rokel Secondary School. “The government and teachers must resolve this quickly. It’s the children who suffer most,” she said.
At Albert Academy, 11-year-old Mohamed Sesay said he was disappointed. “I walked all the way to school early in the morning only to meet closed classrooms. I don’t know when we’ll really start classes.”
Another parent at Government Model Secondary School, Binta Mansaray, said actions like this could only make things worse, advising both sides to think about the children’s future.
Parents and pupils remain anxious, uncertain how long the strike will last or when teaching will begin.