Improving Primary School Enrolment and the Quality of the Educational System in Sierra Leone

Sierra Leone

The grant has been extended to World Vision Austria and aimed to improve the educational system in Sierra Leone by increasing primary school enrolment, enhancing education quality and supporting gender equity. The project was successfully completed. Four schools were constructed within the two targeted districts, Kono and Bonthe. Each of the schools has 3 classrooms, an office space and a store, and had been equipped with ramps to ensure the access for disabled children. Overall 860 sets of benches and desks have been provided. In the following year, 8 schools were rehabilitated and received a new roof, new windows and doors, the walls were rehabilitated where necessary, and all rooms were painted. The project also included the construction of a staff quarter house with 2 bedrooms, kitchen, and store and toilet facilities on the school compound of each of the schools, the newly constructed ones and the rehabilitated schools. To construct these 12 staff quarters is a strategy to motivate the main teachers to stay in the communities as long as possible, which is based on experience. All 12 schools also received new boreholes latrines on the school compounds to ensure that safe drinking water and hygiene and sanitation is available for the school children. During the first year of implementation, 240 teachers have been trained on the Child Centered Teaching Technique (CCTT). To increase community participation in improving learning outcomes for children and building their capacity in monitoring and supervision of schools, School management committees (SMCs) and Community Teacher Associations (CTAs) were trained on the maintenance of a hygienic environment within the school compound as well as maintenance of the solar pumps.