$26 million textbooks and learning materials unveiled for schools in Sierra Leone

Sierra Leone Telegraph: 10 January 2019:

President Julius Maada Bio has unveiled textbooks, teaching and learning materials worth Le 221 billion ($26.2 million) which are  being provided, through a partnership between UKAid and the Government of Sierra Leone, in support of the government’s Free Quality Education Programme for public and government assisted schools.

In his keynote address at the unveiling of the free education materials which was held at the Government Secondary Technical School on Congo Cross in Freetown, president Bio said that when he prioritised human capital development during his campaign, by offering free quality education to every Sierra Leonean child, his doubters laughed at him.

He said his doubters had thought the proposition was impossible, but that within the shortest period in office, his administration has been able to deliver on that promise.

He said by providing textbooks and other teaching and learning materials for students, the government has eliminated a major impediment to learning, especially for parents who could not afford the high cost of training their children in schools.

He assured that with the new sets of materials, there would be content coherence in schools and teachers would also work harder to prepare instructional materials.

“By investing in the education of our children, we are investing in the future of our nation. Human capital is the most valuable resource in any nation and I believe in it. We have done a lot since the formal launch of the free quality education, including the allocation of over twenty-one percent of the national budget to the education sector.

“Textbook guidelines have been developed to ensure care and security of the core text books provided by government. Parents now have the responsibility to comply with the guidelines set to safeguard the textbooks. These materials are not for sale and anyone found stealing them will face the full force of the law,” he stressed.

He also commended the donor partners for supporting the free quality education and called on community members to fully support and own the programme, while ensuring its successful implementation throughout the country.

He said government has put in place plans for the quick delivery of the materials across the country.

Minister of Basic and Senior Secondary Education, Lawyer Alpha Osman Timbo, said a lot of wrong information had gone around in an attempt to distract government in achieving the free quality education. He expressed hope that the public show of the school materials would put an end to those negative messages.

He said the materials are meant to help the teaching and learning process for students and teachers.

The minister also said that his ministry would work with Civil Society Organisations and Traditional Leaders to ensure that the materials are not only distributed, but properly monitored so that they are used for the intended purposes.

He added that government is working to ensure that visually impaired students also have access to learning materials.

Country Representative for the Department for International Development, Mary Hunt, said that after months of hard work, she is excited that the materials are being launched.

She encouraged government to put in place the right policies to ensure the materials are used for a minimum of five years. The DfID Rep also assured that the UK government is committed to supporting the successful implementation of the Free Quality Education Programme.

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