Education Minister Proposes Funding Model Tied to Graduate Employment

Education Minister Proposes Funding Model Tied to Graduate Employment

Sierra Leone’s Minister of Basic and Senior Secondary Education, Conrad Sackey, has advocated for a fundamental overhaul of education financing, proposing that government funding for schools and tertiary institutions be directly linked to the employment outcomes of graduates.

Speaking at the Mastercard Foundation’s Young Africa Works Summit in Kigali, Minister Sackey argued that regional education systems must urgently adapt to a global economy increasingly defined by artificial intelligence and automation. He cautioned that current institutions are failing to prepare students for the modern workforce.

“We are producing graduates for a world that no longer exists,” Minister Sackey stated.

To bridge the gap between education and industry, the Minister suggested a shift toward performance-based financing. Under this proposed model, a portion of institutional funding would depend on the success of graduates in securing employment after their studies. According to the Minister, this approach would incentivize education providers to better align their training with actual labour market needs.

The proposal is part of a broader educational reform initiative in Sierra Leone, which includes the development of a new national education sector strategy expected by 2027. This plan aims to move away from traditional certification systems toward a focus on lifelong learning and competency-based education.

Central to this strategy is the "Five Cs" framework, which identifies essential skills for the future workforce:

• Comprehension

• Critical Thinking

• Creativity

• Civic Mindedness

• Computational Thinking

"Whatever changes come in the world’s environment, you will be able to handle them because these are lifelong skills," Minister Sackey remarked.

In addition to funding reforms, the Minister called for a renewed emphasis on Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), arguing that it must be given equal importance to traditional academic pathways to drive economic development and job creation.

Minister Sackey’s remarks were welcomed as a bold contribution to the summit, where policymakers and development leaders gathered to discuss reshaping education systems. 

Rwanda’s Minister of Education, who also participated in the session, noted that his country is currently implementing similar initiatives, tracking graduate employment data to help guide students and parents in making informed academic and career decisions.