Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education

What Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education does

The Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education (MBSSE) is the Government of Sierra Leone's statutory agency responsible for delivering basic and senior secondary education nationwide, established in 2018 when President Julius Maada Bio restructured the former Ministry of Education. It administers the Free Quality School Education (FQSE) programme, a universal, government-funded initiative covering pre-primary through senior secondary schooling for approximately 3.1 million pupils across 12,168 schools (83.3% public, 16.7% private) and supports 80,744 teachers. MBSSE distributes services through a 16-district office network and a digital platform stack including the Education Management Information System (EMIS), the digitized Annual School Census (the only fully digitized school census in Africa, built on SurveyCTO), SMS/web Result and Placement Checkers, Leh Wi Lan and Learning Passport e-learning platforms, Education Radio FM 95.3, and an E-Library.

MBSSE's business model is government appropriations plus donor grant funding; it provides all educational services free of charge, with no direct fees to students. Direct disbursements include 103 billion Leones in school subsidies, 69 billion Leones for school feeding (reaching 800,000 pupils), 3 billion Leones for school furniture, teacher payroll for 80,744 teachers, and examination fees for national public exams (NPSE, BECE, WASSCE). The ministry received over 22% of Sierra Leone's national budget and is supported by development partners including the World Bank (REDISL), UNICEF ($53M Country Programme 2020-2023), UK DFID/Aid (£25M in 2023), the European Union via the Global Partnership for Education, the World Food Programme, the Education Outcomes Fund, and the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change. Primary customer segments are school-age children (including pregnant girls and children with disabilities under the Radical Inclusion Policy), teachers, schools (public and private), and out-of-school children and adults served through 59 Community Learning Centres and 30 Adult Literacy Centres.

Name

Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education

Legal name

Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education

Website

https://mbsse.gov.sl

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

The Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education (MBSSE) is the Government of Sierra Leone's statutory agency delivering free basic and senior secondary education to 3.1 million pupils across 12,168 schools, funded by over 22% of the national budget and multilateral donor grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Education Administration

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Student Information Systems (SIS) & School Administration Platforms (EDAJAMAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

State/Federal Reporting, Accountability & Audit Readiness (EDAJAHAF), Finance, Budgeting, Procurement & AP/AR (School/District Ops) (EDAJAHAL), Instructional Delivery & Pedagogy (School-Led) (EDAJAFAB)

Keywords

• Public education administration
• Basic education services
• School feeding programs
• Teacher workforce management
• Education data systems

Headquarters

HQ city

Freetown

HQ country

Sierra Leone

Offices17 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Budget Allocation: The ministry receives over 22% of Sierra Leone's national budget for education. Government spending on national examinations and tuition has increased over 400% since the introduction of FQSE. Subsidies paid amount to 103 billion Leones, school feeding 69 billion Leones, and school furniture 3 billion Leones.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education (MBSSE) is the Government of Sierra Leone ministry responsible for delivering Free Quality School Education (FQSE) from pre-primary through senior secondary level to approximately 3.1 million pupils across 12,168 schools. It funds school subsidies, teacher salaries, school feeding, examination fees, and teaching/learning materials, and operates supporting digital platforms including the Education Management Information System (EMIS), Annual School Census, Result Checker, and Education Radio FM 95.3.

Product overview

The Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education operates a unified government education platform centered on the Free Quality School Education (FQSE) program, which encompasses multiple interconnected digital and programmatic services. The core offerings include the Education Management Information System (EMIS) for nationwide school data management, the digitized Annual School Census platform, Leh Wi Lan for digital learning, Education Radio FM 95.3 for broadcast education, E-Learning and E-Library platforms, Result and Placement Checker systems for examination services, Teacher Payroll management, and the School Feeding Programme. These programs work together to provide comprehensive educational access, monitoring, and support services across Sierra Leone's 12,168 schools serving 3.1 million pupils.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Free Quality School Education (FQSE)
• Education Management Information System (EMIS)
• Annual School Census Digital Platform
• Education Radio FM 95.3
• Result Checker
• Placement Checker
• Leh Wi Lan
• E-Learning Platform
• E-Library
• Teacher Payroll System
• School Feeding Programme
• Learning Passport
• Digital Dictionary
• Integrated Early Childhood Development Program
• MBSSE E-Book Platform

Quantifiable outcome

• 3.1 million pupils enrolled - 37% increase from 2018
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• West African Examination Council (WAEC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 August 2022Regional examination body providing WASSCE, BECE, NPSE examinations. Minister engaged WAEC leadership on reforms, curriculum change, and examination dignity. Sierra Leone is the only country printing question papers outside the region.
• Tony Blair Institute for Global ChangeminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 July 2022Former British Prime Minister Sir Tony Blair's institute supports leaders and governments, working with Sierra Leone on technology integration in education. Hosted webinar with Minister on technology's potential to transform education.
• United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 June 2022Co-chair of Sexual Reproductive Health taskforce with MBSSE, supports development of Comprehensive Sexuality Education materials, part of Education Plus initiative.
• Plan International Sierra LeoneminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 May 2022Supported MBSSE in establishing Youth Advisory Group with 20 young people from all districts to advise on education decisions.
• UNAIDScoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 March 2021One of 5 UN Agencies in Education Plus initiative accelerating adolescent girls and young women's empowerment in Sierra Leone.
• UNESCOcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 March 2021UNESCO NatCom based in Sierra Leone. Minister serves as Co-Chair of UNESCO High-Level Steering Committee of SDG4. Supports global education coordination.
• Education Outcomes Fund (EOF)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 May 2020Partnership with MBSSE and DSTI to scale Sierra Leone Education Innovation Challenge (SLEIC), a three-year programme targeting 250,000+ children in 500+ schools.
• UNICEFcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCountry Programme 2020-2023 with proposed $53 million budget focusing on Systems Strengthening, Early Childhood Development, Quality and Learning, and ensuring Adolescents access to learning. Supports Radical Inclusion Policy implementation.
• World Food Programme (WFP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupports school feeding program in Kambia and Pujehun Districts since 2019, complementing government's school feeding initiative.
• Catholic Relief Service (CRS)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerComplemented government effort in school feeding in Falaba and Koinadugu districts from 2018, also supported school feeding and Education Radio during COVID-19 emergency.
• Directorate of Science, Technology and Innovation (DSTI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment directorate partnering with MBSSE on Education Innovation Challenge and technology integration in education delivery.
• United NationscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUN Resident Coordinator Dr Babatunde A. Ahonsi praised Sierra Leone's education reforms. UN Secretary-General convened Transforming Education Summit 2022.

Scale indicators18 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• OpenEMIS: Open-source Education Management Information System specifically designed for government ministries of education in developing countries. The most directly comparable peer to MBSSE's EMIS, used by multiple national education ministries for school census and student data tracking.
• Veracross: Integrated K-12 school information platform combining SIS, learning management, and family engagement. Comparable to MBSSE's combined EMIS, e-learning, and parent-facing result/placement checker platforms serving a unified school ecosystem.
• Infinite Campus: K-12 SIS provider managing student records, enrollment, attendance, and assessment data for school districts. Directly comparable to MBSSE's EMIS functionality and digitized school census operations across 12,168 schools.
• Skyward (Education Solutions): K-12 SIS and school administration platform with payroll management functionality—closely aligned to MBSSE's Teacher Payroll System and school operations management across 12,168 schools.
• PowerSchool: Leading K-12 Student Information System (SIS) and school administration platform serving thousands of schools globally. Comparable to MBSSE's EMIS and Annual School Census digitization, both managing student enrollment, teacher data, and school operations at scale.

Others

• UNESCO: United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization serving as the global coordinator for SDG4 and education policy frameworks. Sierra Leone's minister serves as Co-Chair of UNESCO's High-Level Steering Committee on SDG4, indicating deep operational engagement.
• World Bank Education Global Practice: Funds the REDISL Project supporting MBSSE's data collection, school census digitization, and education system strengthening. Acts as a financing and technical partner shaping MBSSE's operational capacity.
• UNICEF Education: UN agency with $53M Country Programme 2020-2023 supporting MBSSE's systems strengthening, early childhood development, and radical inclusion policy. Functions as a core development partner rather than a competing entity.

Regional players

• Ministry of Education, Ghana: Regional peer managing K-12 education across Ghana with similar curriculum, examination (WAEC), and free education policy structures. Comparable in mandate and operational scope to MBSSE, though operating in a larger economy.
• Ministry of Education, Liberia: Closest geographical and contextual peer—another West African post-conflict state managing K-12 education with similar donor dependencies and Free and compulsory education programs. Highly comparable in operating environment and scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ministry-of-basic-and-senior-secondary-education

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education