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CLAIM: A Facebook user is alleging that Olive B. Academy is the first standard all-girls boarding school in Sierra Leone.
VERDICT: False. Several all-girls boarding schools had existed in Sierra Leone long before Olive B. Academy, including Freetown Secondary School for Girls, Harford School for Girls in Moyamba, and Annie Walsh Memorial School.
Full Text
On August 6, 2025, a Facebook page called Born 2 Blog published pictures and a caption celebrating the opening of Olive B. Academy. The post claimed that this was the first time in Salone’s history that a standard school for girls only with a boarding home had opened.
The pictures showed the school building, classrooms, and a branded school bus.
However, the claim that Olive B. Academy is the first in Sierra Leone raised questions among some readers. Because of the potential misinformation about the claim, DUBAWA decided to verify it.
Verification
DUBAWA Checks into Sierra Leone’s education history reveal that the claim is misleading because all-girls boarding schools have existed in the country for decades.
FREETOWN SECONDARY SCHOOL FOR GIRLS (FSSG)
Founded in 1926, this well-known school has long provided education and boarding facilities for female students. It has produced many prominent women in Sierra Leone and beyond.
Harford School for Girls, Moyamba
Established in 1908 by United Methodist missionaries, Harford School for Girls is known for over a century as a boarding school for girls from across the country, and so is Annie Walsh Memorial School (AWMS), which was founded in 1849, as the oldest girls’ school in West Africa. It has a long tradition of hosting boarding students alongside day students.
These clearly show that Olive B. Academy is not the first all-girls boarding school in Sierra Leone.
Conclusion
The claim that Olive B Academy is the first female-only boarding school in Sierra Leone is misleading.
