By Sorie Ibrahim Fofanah
Ninety-three percent of Head Teachers have expressed concerns over delays in the ‘timely’ arrival of school subsidies, according to research recently published by the National Partnership for Social Accountability (NPSA) on the State of Education in Sierra Leone 2023.
The report which was launched at the Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary School (MBSSE) on 1st March this year, notes that district-specific figures highlighted the low on-time transfer of subsidies for Bonthe, Tonkoili, and Bo districts.
“Regardless of their gender, more than half of all parents have been asked to contribute in some way to the upkeep of maintenance of the school facility,” part of the report reads. Under the fee-free system in Sierra Leone, the reports point out that financial support is ‘vital’
According to the report, 81 percent of parents however expressed satisfaction regarding school issues, but there were lower levels of satisfaction recorded for Moyamba, Pujehun, and Bonthe districts.
In the area of infrastructure, the report states that one in any five parents ‘identified’ the need for rehabilitation of school infrastructure, describing it as the most pressing issue. The report continues that 16 percent of parents pointed to poor infrastructure in the area of gender-separate toilets.
Ninety-nine percent of schools reported routine monitoring by District Education Office (DEO) supervisors and Local Council (LC) representatives. “However, this data can be influenced by positive response bias, as interviews with key staff of the DEOs suggest serious challenges in regular monitoring due to limited resources (fuel, vehicles) and poor road infrastructure,” the report notes.
Speaking to Journalist, the Executive Director of the Institute for Governance Reform, Andrew Lavalie disclosed that there would be another report on the State of Education next year, hoping there would be ‘greater improvement’ in subsequent reports.
The report encompasses feedback from parents, guardians, and teachers, with calls for the Minister of Basic and Senior Secondary Education to act on the findings in the report, Lavalie stated.
The objective of the report was to help authorities act on the feedback that is channeled to them, the Executive Director said.
Speaking about educational performance, Lavalie said, “Communities like Falaba, Karene, Tonkolili, Western Rural, and Moyamba have not been performing very well’’, and recommended that such communities be considered in the areas of teacher recruitment and teacher transfer.
In his response, the Minister of Basic and Senior Secondary Education, Conrad Sackey said the report was an evaluation of their work, which he said they hope to improve more on by the next report.
The minister noted that they are aware of some of the issues that are in the report, and they are working with other partners to help them solve some of the issues highlighted.
In his statement, the European Union (EU) Ambassador to Sierra Leone, Manuel Alexander Muller said has been supporting countries in the educational sector, which includes Sierra Leone. Education and skills development for children, women, and youth are the five properties of the EU’s strategy with Africa that has guided them since 2016, Muller stated.
Speaking about the report, the EU Ambassador said it would provide valuable feedback for policymakers and support the government to improve governance and accountability in the educational sector.
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