Sierra Leone’s broken education system will take generations to fix

 

When did Alpha Wurie become a professor? This question came to my mind as I sat in a café in Lumley listening to the SLBC news: the reporter had addressed him as ‘Professor’ Alpha Wurie. I laughed in utter disbelief. What was the meaning of this?

Of course, I knew; Alpha Wurie had just been moved from the Ministry of Health and Sanitation to become the new Minister of Technical and Higher Education. He was replacing the inept Gbakima – also a ‘professor’ – who during his time in office degraded the already broken higher education system in Sierra Leone.

The president’s obsession with appointing ‘professors’ and ‘doctors (PhDs)’ has triggered a wave of suspect professors and doctors wishing to be named the next Minister of Sea and Sky. In the last two and a half years, the ministers who have been sacked for gross incompetence and ineptitude have also been those who have claimed to be professors or doctors.

Dr Tengbeh, Dr Ali Kabba, Dr Schwartz, Dr Sandi, Prof Gbakima – the list is long. Dodgy doctors with no experience or knowledge of even managing a Sunday league football team only have to wave a piece of paper in the face of the easily hypnotised president to be appointed ministers.