REPUBLIC OF SIERRA LEONE FREE EDUCATION PROJECT
The project is part of an Additional Financing (AF) grant, which is an extension of an existing grant that the World Bank had given the Sierra Leone government for the Free Education Project (FREE). EAA will support the newly added Component 7 of the AF which focuses on Enhancing Access to Education and Supporting Foundational Learning for All. Under this component, the World Bank and Educate A Child will support the Ministry of Basic and Secondary School Education (MBSSE) in Sierra Leone to enrol 120,000 OOSC and provide them with a quality primary education.
The project goal is designed to enable equitable access to quality primary education for all OOSC. Through the AF, Component 7 will give particular attention to OOSC including, girls, pregnant girls, children with disabilities, children from rural and underserved areas and those from low-income families. It will also support and reinforce foundational learning for all.
Some of the proposed strategies include back-to-school campaigns, community sensitization, the development of a policy framework to support OOSC and capacity building for education officials at the district level as well as school management committees. The project will also work with schools and communities to enrol the identified OOSC using various pathways, which include government-recognised formal schools, and Accelerated Education Programs (AEPs) for overaged learners.
Barriers:
- Low quality education
- Poverty
- Gender-based discrimination
- Disability
- Trauma
- Inadequate school infrastructure
- Over aged children
Solutions:
- Accelerated learning curriculum
- Back-to-school incentives
- Provision of learning materials and assistive devices
- Community sensitisation and trainings
- Teacher training on inclusive education
- Infrastructure and WASH refurbishment
- Capacity building for school managers and administrators
- Improving learning outcomes