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Claim: A social media post circulating online claims that the Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education (MBSSE) has issued an immediate nationwide ban on all school “camping” activities within school premises across Sierra Leone.
Verdict: FALSE! The Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education has clarified that it did not issue any nationwide ban on school camping. The document circulating online claiming such a ban is fake, according to an official disclaimer published by the ministry.
Full Text
A Facebook post shared by the blog Salone Celebrity Entertainment claims that the Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education has banned all school camping nationwide.
According to the post, the alleged directive, dated March 6, 2026, states that the decision was taken after a nationwide monitoring exercise uncovered professional misconduct and extortion by some educators during camping activities within school premises.
The message further claims that the directive applies to both government and private schools across Sierra Leone and serves as a final warning to school administrators.
The post quickly attracted attention online, and the same was seen on other social media pages. See here and here. Such information could be of very serious concern for parents and guardians and could affect students preparing for public examinations, where camping classes are commonly organised.
Verification
To verify the claim, DUBAWA contacted the Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education (MBSSE) for clarification. In response, the ministry directed DUBAWA to a Disclaimer published on its official website on March 10, 2026, which addressed the circulating document.
Photo attached under the disclaimer posted by the Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary School Education
According to the ministry, the press release claiming that school camping had been banned nationwide did not originate from the ministry and is fake.
The ministry clarified that it has not issued any directive banning school camping activities across Sierra Leone and advised the public to disregard the circulating document.
A review of the ministry’s official communication channels also shows no official announcement supporting the claim that school camping has been prohibited nationwide.
Conclusion
The claim that Sierra Leone’s Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education has banned school camping nationwide is false. The ministry has publicly stated that the document circulating online is fake and did not originate from its office.
