A Mixed Methods Study of Comparative Education in Sierra Leone: Regional Perspectives from 2021 to 2026

This mixed-methods study investigates the comparative development of primary education across Sierra Leone's Northern, Southern, and Eastern Provinces from 2021 to 2025. It addresses the critical problem of persistent regional disparities in educational access and quality, which undermine national equity goals. Employing a sequential explanatory design, the research first analysed quantitative administrative data from the Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education on enrolment, teacher-pupil ratios, and infrastructure. This phase identified statistical trends, which the subsequent qualitative phase then explored. Semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions were conducted with district education officers, school principals, and community stakeholders in each province to contextualise the quantitative findings. Key results reveal a narrowing yet significant gap in gross enrolment rates, with the Northern Province consistently lagging. However, qualitative data uncovered that perceived 'quality' in the Southern Province is heavily reliant on community-funded supplementary tutoring, raising substantive equity concerns. The study argues that national-level quantitative analysis can mask crucial sub-regional realities, such as divergent community engagement models and post-Ebola teacher redistribution challenges. Its significance lies in demonstrating that effective, context-sensitive education policy must integrate national metrics with deeply embedded regional perspectives. The research contributes a methodological framework for comparative regional analysis, centred on contextual rigour and the integration of local voices within a single national context.