Main Barriers to Education
- Poverty
- Lack of Schools & Sanitation Facilities
- Lack of Inclusive Educational Settings
- Discrimination
Interventions to barriers
- Teacher Training
- MOE Capacity Building
- Policy Advocacy
- Community Engagement
As a central tenet of the country’s development agenda, the Government of Sierra Leone (GOSL) has recognised the importance of education, through which it aims to provide opportunities for children and adults to acquire skills, values and attitudes beneficial to the nation. To that end, the GOSL has articulated an education sector plan 2014-18, specifically prioritising universal primary education, school infrastructure, the reduction of school costs and the support for needy families.
Notwithstanding the GOSL’s commitment to reform, the country’s education system is still plagued with challenges. For instance, as of 2013 only about 60 per cent of in-service primary school teachers had been trained, rates of primary school completion have started to fall, particularly for girls and classrooms are often overcrowded. Moreover, although public expenditure on education overall has risen since 2013, the share of spending on primary-level education has been declining. Also, Sierra Leone’s recent bouts with Ebola complicated the implementation of various development initiatives generally, and those with respect to education in particular.
In support of some of the country’s most marginalised OOSC, EAC has partnered with Handicap International (HI) to increase access to quality primary education. This partner project seeks to cultivate inclusive education settings that respond to the needs of all children, particularly those with disabilities, by establishing multi-sector care and bridge mechanisms within mainstream schools. In addition, HI will train relevant MOE staff on the design/implementation of inclusive education for systemic impact.
Geographic Location: West Africa
Languages: English (official), Krio, Mende, Temne
Projects
Towards a Universal Access for Vulnerable Girls and Boys to a Quality Primary Education
In developing countries, disability tends to be linked with poverty and hinders access to education. It is estimated that 90 per cent of children with disabilities (CwDs) are not schooled. According to UNICEF reporting being identified as disabled has a significant influence on the likelihood of education exclusion in West and Central Africa.