Assessing the role of the Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary School Education in the promotion of Free Quality Education (FQE) in Junior Secondary Schools in Bonthe Municipality

Abstract This research aims to assess the role of the Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary School Education (MBSSE) in promoting Free Quality Education (FQE) in Junior Secondary Schools in Bonthe Municipality, southern Sierra Leone. The study includes 100 parents whose children are enrolled in these schools as well as 100 principals and teachers who were chosen from five junior secondary schools in the Bonthe municipality. A purposive sampling method was employed for the teachers to gather data, while a simple random sampling approach was utilized to select respondents from the pool of one hundred (100) parents. The results showed that the MBSSE was ineffective in promoting the FQE program, as it was not regular in its responsibility as required by its education policy. The study also revealed that MBSSE had delayed paying school fee subsidies on time, this negatively impacting the JSS-level teaching and learning process. Despite this, the MBSSE has been moderately effective in providing furniture and basic school infrastructure for the past three years. The study proposes several recommendations, including ensuring timely payment of School Fees Subsidies to Junior Secondary Schools, providing adequate sitting accommodation to address the issue of inadequate accommodation due to the increase in enrolment as a result of the FQE program, improving technology for accurate, timely, and reliable data generation in Junior Secondary Schools, and recruiting more trained and qualified teachers to meet the current influx of teacher-pupil ratios. Keywords: Role, Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education, promotion, Free Quality Education, Junior Secondary, Schools.