World Bank Revitalizes Education Development in Sierra Leone with US$17.9Million and US$5.5 Million

World Bank Revitalizes Education Development in Sierra Leone with US$17.9Million and US$5.5 Million

 

The World Bank has in the form of a grant, make available the sum of more than twenty million United States Dollars to uplifting educational development in Sierra Leone.

 

The Proposed Global Partnership for Education Fund and MDTF grant in the amount of more than Seventeen Million Dollars ($17.9 Million) and more than Five Million United States Dollars ($5.5Million) are meant for a Revitalization Education Development in Sierra Leone (REDiSL) Project.

 

The Project Development Objective (PDO) is to improve the learning environment in targeted schools and establish systems for monitoring of education interventions and outcomes.

 

“Over its three-year implementation period, the Revitalization Education Development in Sierra Leone (REDiSL) project is expected to directly benefit approximately 6,000 primary schools and 150 JSS in select districts.

 

 Approximately 900,000 students in grades 1-3 levels (about 50 percent of whom are female) are expected to benefit from the early grade reading program.”

 

 “Indirect beneficiaries will be all those children of primary school age (this figure is estimated to reach 1.1 million by 2015).

 

“Targeted interventions like the school grants and early childhood education will further benefit those located in poorest districts of the country, aiming at improving the learning environment.

 

“Ten percent of the teaching workforce or approximately 4,000 teachers and administrators will have the opportunity to complete the trainings associated with the reading program, or the early childhood education program.

 

“Future classes of teaching institutions will also benefit as teacher-educators will also be involved in the training (development and roll out) and will in due course incorporate it into the pre-service teaching curriculum.

 

The larger circle of beneficiaries will include all teachers who will benefit from the services of the Teaching Services Commission to be established, as well as communities, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), district education offices, Local Councils, and third parties involved in the project.

 

The Ministry of Education Science and Technology (MEST) will benefit from the efficiency inputs, to be supported through this project and the capacity enhancements to monitoring and reporting.  Finally, donor partners are expected to be indirect beneficiaries of the REDiSL as systems will be established to coordinate donor activities and to provide a more comprehensive, consolidated framework for working in the education sector.

 The signing ceremony which took place at the World Bank in Washington DC USA saw Ambassador Ibrahim S. Conteh signed on behalf of the government of Sierra Leone on Friday August 1, 2014.He was accompanied by Ms. Fattmata Dao.