By Saio Marrah
Plan International Sierra Leone has wrapped up its Girls Access to Education Challenge Project that focuses on creating opportunities for marginalized girls and children with disabilities in six districts.
Speaking at the organisation’s head office in Freetown, the Country Director, Sindayigaya Evariste applauded the collaborative efforts of their partners in the project.
Recalling the efforts in the last four years he stated: “The girl’s education programme has supported so many marginalized girls and children with disabilities in six districts to help them attend schools and also make sure they live in safe and inclusive environment,” .
He said during those four years of the project activities, they recorded both challenges and joyous moments of the girls. He also spoke about the consortium of Plan International, Action Aid, Humanity and Inclusion and the Open University engaged in the project.
The Deputy Minister of Basic and Senior Secondary Education (MBSSE), Ms. Emily Kadiatu Gogra, in her keynote address thanked Plan International and its partners for what she called “preparing the lives of our girls and stakeholders in economic empowerment, inclusive education, student-teachers study group sessions and a lot more.”
She also acknowledged that the project has impacted skills development, helped children in the six districts to be literate with a difference, created self-awareness, self-esteem, managing of emotions and decisions, as well as enhanced their critical and creative thinking. She also noted that they as a ministry had already felt the impact created in especially the most marginalized as well as the disabled and assured of the ministry’s commitment to partner with the Plan.
According to the deputy minister, due to the huge negative effect on the girl -child caused by COVID, they will continue to partner with all other non-governmental organizations admitting that the ministry, can’t succeed in isolation.
One of the project objective is to ensure that marginalized girls and children with disabilities are provided support to enable them transition back into education. This according to officials involves social intervention and supporting the return to school. Educators receive materials, training for continuous professional development (CPD), coaching and supportive supervision to equip them in providing quality learning support to girls and children with disabilities. It also ensures that girls are able to learn in a safer and more supportive environment while communities are engaged and mobilized to offer a more supportive environment for girls. This is facilitated through the provision of female-only after -school clubs, and dialoguing with parents around girls’ safety and education.
One of the female beneficiaries of the GEC, Mayetteh Sylvia Sesay, a newly recruited teacher, while applauding Plan International, pleaded with the, ministry for pin code for teachers that are not on official payroll.
Copyright © 2021 Politico Online (29/07/21)
