ASSESSING THE IMPLEMENTATION AND IMPACT OF THE FREE QUALITY SCHOOL EDUCATION POLICY ON MATHEMATICS OUTCOMES IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN THE WESTERN AREA OF SIERRA LEONE

The Free Quality School Education (FQSE) policy, introduced in Sierra Leone in September 2018, represents a state commitment to eliminating direct financial barriers to primary and secondary schooling. While national gross enrolments expanded by over half a million learners, questions persist regarding whether fee abolition has translated into improved cognitive learning gains in foundational subjects like Mathematics. This study evaluated the implementation status of the FQSE policy and its impact on secondary Mathematics achievement across four purposively selected schools in the Western Area of Sierra Leone: Ahmadiyya Secondary School and Albert Academy (Western Area Urban), and Peninsular Secondary School and Salam Secondary School (Western Area Rural). Grounded in the Education Production Function and human capital frameworks, data were gathered from 200 Senior Secondary School students (n=50 per school) using a validated 50-item Mathematics Achievement Test (MAT; Cronbach’s α=.81) and a 20-item structured Likert questionnaire (α=.84). A one-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) revealed statistically significant disparities in Mathematics performance across the schools, F(3,196)=12.87,p<.001,η2=.16, with an aggregate sample mean of 59.68 (SD=10.45). Urban schools significantly outperformed their rural counterparts (p<.01), while within-stratum pairwise differences were not statistically significant (p>.05), demonstrating an urban–rural achievement divide. Student perceptual evaluations (M=3.13,SD=1.03) indicated that while textbook supply (M=3.84) and learner motivation (M=3.61) were viewed favorably, classroom overcrowding (M=2.43) and depleted laboratory facilities (M=2.78) represent severe operational bottlenecks. The study concludes that expanding educational access must be matched with targeted classroom construction, specialized instructional kits, and continuous in-service teacher development to sustain Mathematics learning gains.