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The Leadership of the Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education (MBSSE) has held a day meeting with MBSSE personnel in the districts, the Teaching Service Commission, Paramount Chiefs, Parliamentarians, Local Council authorities, Sierra Leone Police, Anti-Corruption Commission and other stakeholders in education to discuss the guidelines on the approval of schools and the use of school subsidies.

The meeting took place on Tuesday, 21st June 2022 at the Bintumani Hotel in Freetown.

“We want judicious use of the school subsidies. Over the past four years, the subsidy paid per term has risen significantly from Le 30.1 Billion to Le 60 Billion in the last term. We think that some of these monies have not been going for the purpose they are meant; that is why we call people to tell them how the subsidy should be spent,” according to the Free Quality School Education (FQSE) Coordinator Mr Amara Sowa.

He said after the workshop, school authorities should not have any excuse for the misuse of school subsidies, noting that that is why they invited the ACC, Audit Service Sierra Leone, Ministry of Finance and the Sierra Leone Police because these are institutions that normally hold them (Ministry of Education) to account and they should be part of the rolling out of the guidelines.

The Director of Planning and Policy in the MBSSE Mrs Adama Momoh corroborated what was said by Mr Sowa, adding that some schools are using almost all the subsidies to give allowances to board members and paying of teachers that are not on the payroll.

She said there are also schools that are claiming to have a certain number of pupils which is not true, just so that they can have more subsidies.

In her keynote address, the Deputy Minister l Mrs Emily K. Gogra calls on her audience and every Sierra Leone to prioritize the education of their children, adding that regular visitation of schools will keep the teachers on their toes and also increase learning outcomes.

He commended stakeholders present for the gains made in education, thus far and called on them to keep working hard.
According to the School Approval Guideline, there are two levels of School Approval: level One approval, which is authorized to operate as a school which is required for all schools and all school types, and level two approval which is eligible to receive financial support.

Schools must have Level One Approval before applying for level two.
A Level One Approved school becomes eligible to submit a Level Two Approval application after one full school year of being a Level One Approved school.
Private schools are not eligible to receive Level Two Approval and would have to change ownership type

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The last collective Bargaining Agreement to address the welfare of teachers between the Sierra Leone Teachers’ Union and the Government of Sierra Leone was in 1996 during the regime of the National Provisional Ruling Council (NPRC).

On Tuesday, 14th June at the Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education, another bargaining agreement with the trade union group, (the Sierra Leone Teachers’ Union) which saw several terms agreed upon including a 45% salary increase over the lifetime of the agreement.

The final negotiation meeting comprises the national and regional executives of the Sierra Leone Teachers’ Union (SLTU), Teaching Service Commission (TSC), Teachers’ Solidarity Movement (TSM), and other stakeholders in Education with Law Pa Momoh Fofana the Chairman of the Teaching Service Trade Group Negotiating Council.

Two Committees were set up and they are the Technical Committee and the Financial Committee.

During the final negotiating meeting, the Minister of Basic and Senior Secondary Education Dr David Moinina Sengeh told teachers that the government is very serious about the negotiation and he wants the Union to take that to their members.
He said the collective bargaining agreement is one that other nations can copy from in Africa and the world over.

“Let me thank our teachers. We understand the sacrifices you make. We see you. We honour you. We love you. We know you care for this country and are committed to our shared prosperity. That is why we thank you for staying in the classrooms,” he said.

The Financial Secretary in the Ministry of Finance Mr Sahr Jusu said that the leadership of both the Ministry of Finance and Basic Education have held several meetings with both the President and the Vice President in negotiating terms in order for school-going pupils to get the required education.

He reminded the teachers of the global economic crisis and other factors that are hindering the government’s desire to improve the condition of the teachers in the country.

After the passionate appeal by the Acting President of SLTU Mr Mohamed B. Bangura for a better bargain compared to what was given, the negotiation chairman Pa Momoh Momoh (Esq) craved the indulgence of the teachers to accept the government offer because of the current economic condition of the world and Sierra Leone in particular and assured them that they can always come back when the country’s economy is better.

Since the introduction of the Free Quality School Education (FQSE), there have been salary adjustments for teachers on five occasions; in 2018, there was a 10% increase in basic salaries as Transport allowance for teachers in Grades 1-6, and in 2019 30% salary increase for all teachers, in 2021 promotion and reassessment of 4,158 teachers (costing Le 15.7 billion) implemented in March 2021, in 2021 again promotion and reassessment of 1,083 teachers (costing Le 5 billion), and the recent increase.

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The Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education (MBSSE) and partners are on a two-day validation exercise of the Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) Teaching and Learning Materials that will be used from primary one to senior secondary school.

The two-day validation process which started on Tuesday 7th June is taking place at the Shangri La Conference Hall, Lumley Beach Road in Freetown.

The Minister of Basic and Senior Secondary Education Dr David Moinina Sengeh regarded the exercise as an important milestone in his Ministry’s ambitious agenda to contribute to the Government’s Human Capital Development aspirations as articulated in the Medium-Term National Development Plan.

“One of the most effective ways to keep learners in school is to empower them with the knowledge that enables them to make informed decisions about life choices. The role of CSE in this regard enables the protection of learners against unintended pregnancy by providing them with the necessary skills to develop effective decision making and communication skills, explore values and attitudes and be made aware of risk reduction skills,” he said.

According to the Minister, Sierra Leone has one of the highest rates of adolescent pregnancy in the world, noting that according to the 2019 Demographic and Health Survey, 21% of girls aged 15-19 had begun childbearing, adding that child marriage rates are high with 29.6% of women aged 20-24 being married before age 18. He said CSE is a key intervention in combating these statistics by providing learners with the information.

He said the implementation of the CSE involves not only teachers but also parents, schools, communities, service providers, traditional and religious leaders, civil society organisations, and other relevant stakeholders.

“CSE is not new in Sierra Leone, in the past students were able to access this information through Family Life Education, however, it was removed from the curriculum, adding that in order to respond to some of the aforementioned statistics it became necessary to restore the subject,” the Minister said.

He said his team in the Ministry has been working, with United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and Irish Aid support to develop a CSE package which is tailored for the context of Sierra Leone.

The UNFPA Deputy Representative Madam Sibeso Mululuma said UNFPA was proud to co-chair the Sexual Reproductive Health taskforce that was set up in 2019 alongside the Ministry’s Chief Education Officer, noting that the validation marks a key point in the Ministry’s journey in rolling out comprehensive sexuality education in Sierra Leone, in line with the recommendations of the Sexual Reproductive Health Task Force.
“UNFPA were proud to support the Ministry in the integration of comprehensive sexuality education into the Basic Education Curriculum Framework. UNFPA remains committed to sustaining its partnership with the Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education in ensuring that CSE is available to young people around Sierra Leone,” she said.

The Deputy Head of Mission at the Embassy of Ireland in Sierra Leone Madam Emma McLoughlin said the introduction of age-appropriate CSE in schools and other learning environments has the potential to increase young people’s life skills and knowledge so that they can make informed choices about their sexual and reproductive health.

“Enhanced education is conducive to more cognisant behaviours, ultimately promoting greater wellbeing, healthier relationships and improved public health outcomes,” she said.

She said in the coming months, they will be supporting the Ministry, through UNFPA’s PROJECT Project, to develop a training trainers manual and conduct training of both trainers and teachers on how to use these teaching and training materials in the classroom.

“The Mission is committed to supporting efforts which contribute to the achievement of targets set out in the Sustainable Development Agenda 2030, especially in Goals 3 which includes ‘Providing universal access to sexual and reproductive healthcare services, including for family planning, information and education, and the integration of reproductive health into national strategies and programmes,” she said.

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[tatsu_section bg_color= “” bg_image= “” bg_repeat= “no-repeat” bg_attachment= ‘{“d”:”scroll”}’ bg_position= ‘{“d”:”top left”}’ bg_size= ‘{“d”:”cover”}’ bg_animation= “none” padding= ‘{“d”:”6px 0px 3px 0px”}’ margin= ‘{“d”:”0px 0px 0px 0px”}’ bg_video_mp4_src= “” bg_video_ogg_src= “” bg_video_webm_src= “” overlay_color= “” overlay_blend_mode= “normal” section_height_type= “auto” custom_height= ‘{“d”:””}’ vertical_align= “center” top_divider= “none” top_divider_zindex= “9999” bottom_divider_zindex= “9999” bottom_divider= “none” top_divider_height= ‘{“d”:”100″}’ top_divider_position= “above” bottom_divider_height= ‘{“d”:”100″}’ bottom_divider_position= “below” top_divider_color= “#ffffff” bottom_divider_color= “#ffffff” invert_top_divider= “0” invert_bottom_divider= “0” flip_top_divider= “0” flip_bottom_divider= “0” section_id= “” section_class= “” section_title= “” offset_value= “0px” full_screen_header_scheme= “background–dark” overflow= “” z_index= “0” hide_in= “” animate= “1” animation_type= “none” animation_delay= “0” animation_duration= “300” border_style= ‘{“d”:”solid”,”l”:”solid”,”t”:”solid”,”m”:”solid”}’ border= ‘{“d”:””}’ border_color= “” border_radius= “” box_shadow= “0px 0px 0px 0px rgba(0,0,0,0)” key= “b7wxCAQEYl”][tatsu_row full_width= “0” bg_color= “” border_style= ‘{“d”:”solid”,”l”:”solid”,”t”:”solid”,”m”:”solid”}’ border= ‘{“d”:””}’ border_color= “” no_margin_bottom= “0” equal_height_columns= “0” gutter= “medium” column_spacing= “px” fullscreen_cols= “0” swap_cols= “0” padding= ‘{“d”:”0px 0px 0px 0px”}’ margin= ‘{“d”:”0px 0px”}’ row_id= “” row_class= “” box_shadow= “0px 0px 0px 0px rgba(0,0,0,0)” border_radius= “0” hide_in= “” animate= “1” animation_type= “none” animation_delay= “0” animation_duration= “300” layout= “1/1” key= “GOASqtTjdS”][tatsu_column bg_color= “” bg_image= “” bg_repeat= “no-repeat” bg_attachment= “scroll” bg_position= ‘{“d”:”top left”}’ bg_size= ‘{“d”:”cover”}’ padding= ‘{“d”:”0px 0px 0px 0px”}’ margin= ‘{“d”:””}’ border_style= ‘{“d”:”solid”,”l”:”solid”,”t”:”solid”,”m”:”solid”}’ border= ‘{“d”:””}’ border_color= “” border_radius= “0” box_shadow_custom= “0px 0px 0px 0px rgba(0,0,0,0)” bg_video_mp4_src= “” bg_video_ogg_src= “” bg_video_webm_src= “” overlay_color= “” overlay_blend_mode= “normal” animate_overlay= “none” link_overlay= “” vertical_align= “none” sticky= “0” offset= ‘{“d”:”0px 0px”}’ column_parallax= “0” column_width= ‘{“d”:100,”l”:100,”t”:100,”m”:100}’ column_mobile_spacing= “0” image_hover_effect= “none” column_hover_effect= “none” hover_box_shadow= “0px 0px 0px 0px rgba(0,0,0,0)” overflow= “” col_id= “” column_class= “” top_divider= “none” top_divider_height= ‘{“d”:”100″,”m”:”0″}’ top_divider_color= “#ffffff” flip_top_divider= “0” top_divider_zindex= “9999” bottom_divider= “none” bottom_divider_height= ‘{“d”:”100″,”m”:”0″}’ bottom_divider_color= “#ffffff” flip_bottom_divider= “0” bottom_divider_zindex= “9999” left_divider= “none” left_divider_width= ‘{“d”:”50″,”m”:”0″}’ left_divider_color= “#ffffff” invert_left_divider= “0” left_divider_zindex= “9999” right_divider= “none” right_divider_width= ‘{“d”:”50″,”m”:”0″}’ right_divider_color= “#ffffff” invert_right_divider= “0” right_divider_zindex= “9999” z_index= “0” hide_in= “” animate= “1” animation_type= “none” animation_delay= “0” animation_duration= “300” layout= “1/1” key= “OYdEAoxDC”][tatsu_animated_heading text= “Western Area to Benefit from School Feeding, targeting 800,000 Pupils” tag_to_use= “h3” anime_type= “anime_split_letter” text_color= ‘{“id”:”palette:0″,”color”:”#000000″}’ line_color= ‘{“id”:”palette:0″,”color”:”#000000″}’ alignment= “left” anime_duration= “20” typography= ‘{“d”:””}’ hide_in= “” css_id= “” css_classes= “” animate= “1” animation_type= “none” animation_delay= “0” animation_duration= “300” padding= ‘{“d”:””}’ margin= ‘{“d”:””}’ border_style= ‘{“d”:”solid”,”l”:”solid”,”t”:”solid”,”m”:”solid”}’ border= ‘{“d”:””}’ border_color= “” border_radius= “” box_shadow= “0px 0px 0px 0px rgba(0,0,0,0)” key= “me8DZpe9b”][/tatsu_animated_heading][tatsu_text bg_color= “” color= “” max_width= ‘{“d”:”100″}’ wrap_alignment= “center” text_alignment= ‘{“d”:”left”}’ margin= ‘{“d”:”0px 0px 30px 0px”}’ box_shadow= “0px 0px 0px 0px rgba(0,0,0,0)” padding= ‘{“d”:”0px 0px 0px 0px”}’ border_style= ‘{“d”:”solid”,”l”:”solid”,”t”:”solid”,”m”:”solid”}’ border= ‘{“d”:”0px 0px 0px 0px”}’ border_color= “” border_radius= “0px” text_typography= ‘{“d”:””}’ hide_in= “” css_id= “” css_classes= “” animate= “1” animation_type= “none” animation_delay= “0” animation_duration= “300” key= “4kJgaGlzR”]

The Western Area Rural District will be included in the school feeding programme next academic year that will commence in September 2022, targeting a total of 800,000 (Eight hundred thousand) pupils nationwide.

According to the Deputy Minister ll of Basic and Senior Secondary Education who managed the School Feeding Programme Madam Mamusu Patricia Massaquoi, the school feeding started in 2018 with 50,000 pupils and by then implementation was only done in Falaba and Koinadugu by Catholic Relief Service (CRS) complementing government’s effort.

“In 2019, we increased school feeding to 320,000 pupils when we have the World Food Programme (WFP) joining in feeding pupils in Kambia and Pujehun Districts. In 2020 when we had the outbreak of COVID-19, we still increased school feeding to a total of eleven districts feeding a total of 430,000 pupils,” she said.

She said in 2021, the Ministry expanded school feeding to all fourteen provincial districts feeding 441,000 pupils, and in 2022 expanded to 630,000 pupils from 90 Chiefdoms in all fourteen districts.
“By September 2022/2023 academic year, we will increase school feeding to fifteen districts including the Western Area Rural District, we will be targeting 2,930 pre-primary and primary schools and we will be feeding a total of 800,000 pupils which is about 60 per cent coverage nationwide,” she said.

This policy builds on the Government of Sierra Leone’s pioneering Free Quality School Education (FQSE) initiative and pursues the guiding principles of the MBSSE that include universal access to quality and equitable education, radical inclusion, quality teaching and learning and comprehensive safety of all learners.

The policy’s goal is to promote the holistic development of children, local farmers, producers, and the community by ensuring that school feeding is recognized and treated as a sustainable, multi-sectoral investment program that receives support from various actors, including the Government at central and decentralized levels, communities, the private sector, civil society, the diaspora, and external donors.

The long-term objective of this policy is to ensure that school feeding contributes to the vision, mission, and goals of the Government of Sierra Leone as articulated in the Mid-Term National Development Plan (MTNDP) and the Education Sector Plan (ESP). Procuring and providing locally produced and processed nutritious and healthy school meals to pupils, contributes to education attainment and improvement of children’s nutritional status.

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A wide cross-section of education stakeholders, including national and local government, civil society organizations, education development partners, parliamentarians, youth representatives and the private sector come together to re-imagine education in Sierra Leone and set bold goals for the country as part of consultations for the Transforming Education Summit which will take place in New York in September 2022.

The National Consultation took place on Wednesday 1st June at the Radisson Blu Mammy Yoko Hotel in Freetown.
The purpose is to send a clear message from Sierra Leone answering the United Nations Secretary General’s call to ‘mobilize political ambition, action, solutions and solidarity to transform education: to take stock of efforts to recover pandemic-related learning losses; to reimagine education systems for the world of today and tomorrow, and to revitalize national and global efforts to achieve SDG-4.’.

Speaking during the opening session of the meeting, the Minister of Basic and Senior Secondary Education Dr David Moinina Sengeh said Sierra Leone has come far in the last four years, he, however, stated that the nation is still laying the foundation, noting that close to a million more children have been enrolled in schools, developed new curricula from pre-primary education to junior secondary education unto senior secondary education and civic education curriculum.

“We’ve developed policies among them include Radical Inclusion in Schools, Integrated Early Childhood Development, and Integrated Home Grown School Feeding. We are seeing the highest number of pupils passing the National Primary School Certificate Examination (NPSE), Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) and West African Senior Secondary Certificate Education (WASSCE) in our country’s history and we are making huge progress in the Early Grade Reading Assessment (EGRA) and Early Grade Mathematics Assessment (EGMA),” he said.

According to the Minister, Sierra Leone has achieved gender parity in enrollment at all levels in basic and senior secondary education and that doesn’t come for free.

He thanked President Julius Maada Bio for his leadership and for the allocation of over 22% of the country’s budget to education, and also commended multi-donor partners for their support of education.

The Minister of Tertiary and Higher Education Professor Alpha Tejan Wurie regarded education as the bedrock of human progress, noting that the world is stepping up to the change in transforming the education sector.

“We are now recognizing that we cannot continue on scholarships, we have to be transformative and think of other ways to fund higher education. As a Ministry, we have started talking about the student loan scheme and that scheme will be operationalized in the 2022/2023 academic year,” he said.

The United Nation Resident Coordinator Dr Babatunde A. Ahonsi said well into the 21st century, millions of children and young people are still not in school, and millions of those who are in school are not really learning, not really achieving the kind of learning that is relevant for their lives in the world they are living in, adding that with the COVID-19 pandemic, these challenges have only been exacerbated.

“In 2021, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres announced that a Transforming Education Summit (TES) would be convened in September 2022 as a global strategy to avert a generational catastrophe and rethinking education systems, especially in the context of COVID-19, which has disrupted education systems globally, affecting the most vulnerable learners the hardest,” he said.

He said the Transforming Education Summit intends to put the spotlight on education and provide an opportunity for education stakeholders to advocate for sufficient, effective, and equitable financing of education at global and domestic levels.

Mr Ahonsi said transformative actions, which include getting every child ready for school, ensuring they acquire basic literacy and numeracy skills, and that attention is given to the needs of the most marginalized including girls and children with disabilities, are the expectations from this journey to rebuild the education systems.

“In this regard, on behalf of the UN Country Team in Sierra Leone, I congratulate the Government of Sierra Leone for being a continental leader in reforming the education sector and making ambitious commitments to improve learning processes and outcomes.

The Government of Sierra Leone continues to invest more than 20 per cent of its national budget in education. The Free Quality School Education (FQSE) Programme, one of the Government’s flagship programmes, is dedicated to promoting quality education for all children,” he said.

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The Vice President of the Republic of Sierra Leone Dr Juldeh Jalloh has inaugurated the Youth Advisory Group (YAG) which was formed by the Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education (MBSSE) with support from Plan International Sierra Leone.

This took place on Wednesday 18th May 2022 at the Bintumani International Conference Center in Freetown.
In November, the Minister of Basic and Senior Secondary Education Dr David Moinina Sengeh during the COP26 Summit in Glasgow, made a commitment to establish a Youth Advisory Group in Sierra Leone.

The Youths Advisory Group comprises twenty (20) young people; one from each district which total of sixteen and four from special needs youths (children with disabilities; children from low-income families; children in rural and underserved areas; and girls – especially girls who are currently pregnant and in school or are parent learners).

“The Youth Advisory Group will be a pillar in supporting all major decisions about education in Sierra Leone and will serve as an important accountability mechanism within the ministry. The ministry is providing services to nearly 3 million people, which is close to 50% of the country’s population. It doesn’t make sense if young people are not part of the architecture of the MBSSE’s decision making. We are starting small with the Youth Advisory Group, which will be the first of its kind in the government of Sierra Leone. I am excited to legalise the YAG in the new Education Act,” according to the Minister.

Meeting the YAG for the first time in a roundtable discussion, the youths shared with the minister their motivation for being part of the group and how they intend to contribute to issues relating to the well-being of themselves and their colleagues.
Issues relating to teachers and teaching were also discussed during the engagement.

The Country Director of Plan International Sierra Leone Mr Evariste Sindayigaya said for Plan, they recognized that by not including young people in their planning and decision making processes, everything they do including governance they are losing huge opportunities, not only in terms of legitimacy or the value of decisions they make but also the unique perspective that young people bring to their work.

“Young people, the future will be kind to you if you contribute to writing it, and I can’t be more excited today to say that the Honorable Minister and the leadership of the Ministry have given you a platform to join them in writing your own history, your own future, therefore do not underestimate this opportunity,” he said.

He said their responsibility with support from MBSSE is to make sure that they develop together pathways of young people into leadership, and it is towards this objective they will direct their effort, energy and resources.

“I want to make a commitment that Plan International Sierra Leone will continue to make sure that the voices of young people are heard and are valued,” he said.

The sixteen YAG members from the districts are; Western Urban – Yeanoh Rukoh Bai-Kamara, Western Rural – Keturah Doris E.M Bangura, Bombali – Sorie Ibrahim Koroma, Koinadugu – Abu Bakarr Sesay, Tonkolili – Marie Samuella Yembeh Koroma, Falaba – Namisa Mansaray, Port Loko – Simeon K. Bangura, Kambia District – Marion A. Kargbo, Karene District- Isatu S. Samura, Bo – Michael Nabieu, Bonthe – Dauda Kamah, Moyamba – Christiana Umu Lalugba,Pujehun – Emmanuel Tamba Momoh, Kenema – Mamawa Jayah, Kalilahun – Vaffie Umaru and Kono – Alusine Lansana.
The recruitment process for the remaining four special needs youths is ongoing.

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Vice President of the Republic of Sierra Leone Dr Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh has on Wednesday, May 18, 2022, delivered the keynote address at the Transformative Leadership for Gender Equality through Education Conference at the Bintumani Conference Center in Freetown in which he reaffirmed government commitment to improving access and quality of education, with particular focus on the girl child.

The three-day meeting will reflect and commit to what it takes for African education systems to become an influential force of change toward gender-equal societies. The event will end with the Ministers of Education sharing their commitments to promote gender equality in and through education and will outline the next steps toward the Transforming Education Summit in September 2022.
The Vice President, in his keynote address, explained about achievements made by the Government of Sierra Leone on gender parity in schools through transformative policies.

He stated that the Government has increased the budget on education to 22 per cent, adding that the Government has taken policy action by creating the Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education (MBSSE) with a focus on basic education and emphasis on girls’ education. He noted that the rationale for the Radical Inclusion Policy is to support pregnant schoolgirls to continue with their education.

According to him, the government’s deepest conviction is that education is the centrepiece of investing in people, adding that the government’s commitment to addressing barriers that impede gender equality in education is rooted in the conviction that no society or country can grow if half of its population is plagued by barriers.

Vice President Jalloh updated the conference on the creation of a stand-alone Ministry of Gender and Children’s Affairs for the purpose of working hard to overturn barriers against gender and women’s empowerment in Sierra Leone. He explained the government’s vigorous response against rape and gender-based violence, the amendment of the sexual offences Act, the declaration of rape as a State emergency, and the establishment of a sexual offence court.

The Minister of Basic and Senior Secondary Education, Dr David Monina Sengeh stated that Sierra Leone could not make better investments without empowering and encouraging women and girls. He highlighted Sierra Leone’s achievement in gender parity in schools, including increased girls’ enrolment in schools and increased the number of girls taking and passing public exams.

He said this is why the Government of Sierra Leone has made it tuition-free for girls wanting to pursue those courses related to STEM and Education. He calls on all to be ambitious and go beyond gender parity in accessing education.

“Let us make sure that the full rewards of education are also enjoyed equally. Let us make sure that we lay the foundation for societies with equality before the law, equal representation, equal pay for equal work, and equal opportunity regardless of your gender, physical ability, the size of your bank account or the location of your home,” he said.

He said as the Co-Chair of the UNESCO High-Level Steering Committee of SDG4, and the Co-Chair of the UN Secretary General’s Transforming Education Summit Advisory Committee, they are all eagerly waiting for the output document from this session, noting that it is a tremendous opportunity for the African region to take the lead in Transforming Education.
He thanked the collaborators United Nations Girls Education Initiative (UNGEI) and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF-SL) for making sure this happened and I hope his colleague Ministers will be in Paris at the Pre-Summit end of June and then in New York in September 19th as we commit to Transforming Education.

“When girls have equal access and progression in our education systems, they will better participate in our political systems. When we ensure that they are not just included and protected, but empowered and encouraged, they will empower and encourage all of us. We really cannot make a better investment,” he said.

The Deputy Minister of Gender and Children’s Affairs Mr Buaki Bindi Hindowa told the participants about the review of the National Referral Protocol on Gender-Based Violence (GBV) to include school-related GBV by his Ministry in partnership with the Ministry of Basic Education. He elaborated on the launch of the Gender Empowerment Policy in November 2020 with the purpose of sustainably reducing inequalities between women and men, with the focus on a greater impact on investments. He spoke about the establishment of the Women’s Economic Empowerment Fund for female entrepreneurs with seed money of one billion Leones, reiterating plans to disburse the money in the Fund in order to improve women’s economic position in Sierra Leone.

The Director of UNGEI Madam Antara Ganguli said that the high-level meeting was historic because it brings together ministers and permanent secretaries in education ministries in sixteen countries including Sierra Leone for the first time to discuss leadership that is gender transformative and leadership that leads to a transformation in the situation of gender equality in Sierra Leone.
She stated that 67.5 per cent of 15–24-year-old young people around the world who are not in training, education or employment are young women. She explains further that, one in three young women are not in training, education and employment compared to one out of seven young men. She concluded that gender-transformative education is about the empowerment of women. The conference is slated from 18-20 May 2022.

According to UNICEF Representative Dr Suleiman Braimoh, the 2020 Radical Inclusion Policy strongly promotes gender equity and inclusion of the most vulnerable children including marginalized and pregnant girls.
“Through this policy, our girls are getting the opportunity to continue with education and the pursuit of their life dreams, despite the pregnancy. We acknowledge the Government of Sierra Leone for the successful implementation of the Free Quality Education Programmes, which is contributing to improving school enrolment,” she said.

She said UNICEF, with support from Global Partnership for Education, has been a key partner in supporting this ambitious, flagship government programme, which according to her is making a significant contribution towards reaching the Sustainable Development Goals 4, ensuring inclusive quality education for all children.

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The 2021 West African Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (WASSCE) analysis has shown that the number of students meeting university requirements has increased astronomically by fifteen-fold from 3,156 in 2019 to 51,748 students in 2021.

For direct entry to a first full-degree programme in Sierra Leone, universities require a minimum of 5 credits of which one must be English Language and/or Mathematics. In this regard, results are also vastly improved. More females than males now meet university requirements. This represents a momentous achievement for Sierra Leonean students. As many more are eligible for entry to degree-awarding institutions, Sierra Leone can expect a surge in students seeking tertiary education.

“Since the introduction of FQSE, the government combined spending on national examinations and tuition has increased over 400 per cent. The progress we’ve made in transforming education in the last couple of years is unprecedented. The number of learners enrolled in schools increased tremendously by almost 700,000. The data collected also reveal a significant increase in the number of schools approved for Government support. 53.4% of pre-primary, 78.7% of primary, 76.7% of junior secondary and 80.4% of senior secondary schools are now approved. In 2018 less than half of the schools across basic and senior secondary were approved to receive government support. Students now have the opportunity to attempt the WASSCE twice with the government paying for them. These factors among others have resulted in the tremendous increase in the number of students getting requirements in WASSCE,” according to the Minister of Basic and Senior Secondary Education Dr David Moinina Sengeh.

In 2021, 62,559 students obtained 5 credits or more in a single sitting. This is more than a 10-fold increase over the 2018 performance with 5,797 students, representing step-change improvement.

In 2021, 156,231 candidates sat the WASSCE, an all-time high. Since 2018, this number has increased by a total of 354%. For the first time in recent years, the female candidates sitting WASSCE outnumbered the male candidates.

The number of candidates sitting WASSCE has increased by 354% from 2018-to 21, reaching a record 156,231 students with more female students than male students sitting WASSCE, a first in recent Sierra Leonean history. The pass rate for individual papers has climbed from 38% in 2019 to 64% in 2021 with the number of students obtaining the benchmark 5 credits in a single sitting has increased by 979% from 2018-to 2021.

“In 2021 more than 60,000 students obtained the benchmark score for WASSCE 2021, which is more than the previous 5 years combined. The top student sat and passed all 9 of his subjects with an average grade of 1.58, i.e. something better than a B2. He attended a government-assisted school and obtained 6 A1 grades,” according to the analysis.

Three of the top six students by average grade attended government-assisted schools. Across the districts, 67% of the top students by average grade attended government-assisted schools and the top school saw 100% of its candidates obtain the benchmark 5 credits with an average grade of 2.90, i.e. approximately a B3. Among the top 5 schools, 3 are government-assisted.

The pass rates for English Language and Mathematics are 45% and 66% respectively. Males outperform females in the English Language in most districts and in the nation as a whole. For mathematics, the opposite was true with females outperforming males in most districts and in the nation as a whole.

There remains a large variation in performance across subjects. Of the ten subjects with the most candidates sitting, Principles of Cost Accounting saw the highest pass rate (85%) and English Literature the lowest (10%).

There remains a large variation in performance across districts, including for English and Mathematics pass rates, for obtaining the benchmark 5 credits, and for obtaining the university requirements for a full first degree programme.

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The Minister of Basic and Senior Secondary Education Dr David Moinina Sengeh, Deputy Minister 1, Chief Education Officer, Deputy Chief Education Officer and several senior directors of the Ministry of Basic Education on Wednesday 23rd March had a town hall meeting with Principals and school heads from public and private schools in the Western Area to discuss the poor attendance of students and teachers in Schools.

“In the last couple of weeks, I made an unannounced visit to schools in the Western Area and I noticed that most of the classes are half empty with students and with the teacher that is supposed to teach them absent. Most of the students voluntarily don’t go to school because they are not sure about being taught and some of the teachers are using the poor attendance of pupils as a defence for not teaching. As a teacher, even if you meet a single student in class, your role is to teach, so let us remove the burden from the children,” Dr. Sengeh said.

The meeting is to discuss challenges and issues raised by the public and those observed by MBSSE staff, and also an opportunity for these Principals and school leaders to share ideas of what’s working in their schools, think about solutions together to their shared problems, and build new and trusted relationships.
School principals highlighted several challenges they are faced with like, some of their teachers not committed to teaching with little they can do about it, a few of their teachers not on the payroll and only receiving stipend from the school, public schools principals complaining of sharing their teachers with private schools, some teachers are students in institutions of higher learning among others.

The MBSSE Leadership during the town hall meeting voiced the opinions of school leaders on what can be done to improve attendance and learning outcomes in schools and many suggestions were made for future consideration.

“We’d made joint commitments and resolved to improve the quality of education across the board. School leadership is our sure way of turning around our schools, and we, as a government, are committed to helping make this reality.

The Teaching Service Commission Chair and Chief Executive Officer will lead a road trip to have similar engagements in other districts,” he said. “Quality isn’t a switch you simply turn on… it’s a system you build, and we are well underway. We need everyone on board this train,” the Minister concluded.

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Milton Margai School for the Blind, National School for the Deaf among other learners with special needs have received school buses from the Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education (MBSSE) for the first time since 2003 when Dr Alpha Wurie was the Minister of Education.

“In 1996 just before I transitioned to secondary school, I was the Head Boy here and I gave the vote of thanks for the first bus that was given to us by the then Minister of Education Dr. Alpha Wurie, and just before I completed my secondary education in 2003 I was fortunate again to give the vote of thanks for another 40-seaters bus donated by Dr Alpha Wurie and that was the last time we received a bus from the Ministry of Education. Today, as Head of this institution I am privileged again to receive the key to a brand new bus,” head teacher for the Milton Margai School for the blind, Salieu Turay said.

Mr Turay on Thursday 17th March received the key to a brand new bus from the Deputy Minister 1 in MBSSE Madam Emily Kadiatu Gogra.

According to Mr. Turay, when Dr David Moinina Sengeh was appointed as Basic Education Minister in 2019, he pledged to prioritize special needs education and that has been demonstrated over the years, noting that his institution is getting the maximum support from the entire leadership of the Ministry.

The Deputy Minister of Basic and Senior Secondary Education regarded the handing over of the bus as a dream come true and thanked the World Bank and other donor partners for their kind gesture, adding that the ministry saw the challenge of the kids with regards transportation and decided to come to their aid.

She said the Ministry cannot afford to leave the disabled behind because they also can contribute immensely to the development of the country. She called on the beneficiaries to take good care of the buses as this will encourage their partners to do more.

The Coordinator of the Free Education Project Mr. Ambrose Sesay said the buses will ease the movement of the children in and out of town, noting that this was made possible by the Sierra Leone National Policy on Radical Inclusion in Schools which says that everybody should benefit from the free education that the government is offering.

“There is a lot in the development plate to provide for the learners with special needs. One of the pillars in the Free Quality School Education (FQSE) is inclusive education, so whatever we do in any school is geared towards inclusiveness,” he said.

He said the buses that are meant for learners with special needs are five and they are presently being distributed to the various institutions in the country.

Madam Mari Shojo is a Senior Education Specialist with the Education Global Practice of the World Bank, she called on special needs children to never give up and make use of every opportunity.
She reminded the students that the future of the country depends on them.

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