By Hajaratu Kalokoh
The Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA) has launched the first set of picture books for Early Childhood Development. The books which were locally produced are geared towards fostering development among pupils in pre-schools, by enhancing their social emotional skills.
The project was designed by UNICEF, Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education and funded by OSIWA.
OSIWA works in 15 different countries in West Africa, working mainly with the media, civil society, communities and governments. The organization, which is part of the US-based Think Tank, the Open Society Foundation, works around issues like governance, law, justice and human rights.
A total of six books were launched on Thursday: Typical day of baby Agie; Sing sing a song; Delicious food; Joe had a busy day; Treasure at Home; and A day on the farm.
The common theme in all the stories featured are based on family life within the Sierra Leonean context. It was developed this way to make sure children and guardians easily relate to the characters.
This is the first-time schools in the country will have picture books that are specifically designed by Sierra Leoneans.
Joe Pemagbi, Country Officer for OSIWA, said the support to this project was part of their long-term commitment to help groom the mind of children from a very early age.
“The launch of these six picture books is a very special occasion for us. It is a huge achievement for this country as we set out on the journey of delivering free quality education for our children. We don’t have an option; we have to catch them young and that was one of the primary reasons OSIWA committed resources to this project,” Pemagbi said.
Acting Deputy Representative at UNICEF, Amy Clancy, said early exposure of children to words and pictures will support their cognitive, emotional and social development, something children in Sierra Leone have struggled with in the past.
“This exposure will help the children gain solid foundation for literacy and foster young children’s school readiness skills, particularly in literacy and numeracy and strengthen children’s socio emotional skills”, she said.
Investment in early childhood development in the country has been poor. Most government schools do not have preschool. Currently the government’s Free Quality Education program doesn’t make provision for preschools in the country.
In her address during the launch, Deputy Minister of Basic and Secondary Education, Emily Gogra, urged parents to also get more involved with the development of their children by dedicating part of their time to reading these books with the kids.
“Our hope as a government, under His Excellency (Rtd) Brigadier Julius Maada Bio, is that parents, grandparents and caregivers will spend time reading these pictures books to the children. These books also offer parenting skills to include positive child rearing practices such as feeding, caring and nurturing young children so that they can have best start in life,” Ms Gogra said.
These books are expected to make the work of preschool teachers a bit easier. But a preschool teacher at Saint Joseph, Fatmata Sillah, said the focus should not only be about children.
“These books mean a lot to the school; this can help the learning process of the children. We are still asking government to provide materials not only to the kids but also for teachers. When there is provision for teachers, teachers will be happy to teach. When there is no better condition for teachers, the classroom will be boring,” Sillah told Politico.
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