By Saio Marrah
Sierra Leone Education Innovation Challenge (SLEIC) in partnership with the Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education (MBSSE), Education Outcome Fund (EOF) and others are targeting more than 136,000 primary pupils in 325 schools across the 16 districts of Sierra Leone to improve the quality of learning in schools.
The programme is a result-based financing programme that ties funding to measurable results. The programme will measure and pay for improvements in learning outcomes achieved by the delivery partners. A specific focus on girls’ learning is reflected in the 20% premium awarded to girls’ learning outcomes.
The Government and EOF identify schools and set out targets, and the EOF will also regulate and oversee the delivery partners for implementation on behalf of the government.
Speaking to Politico at the dialogue programme held at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Freetown on Tuesday 31st May 2022, the Programme Manager for EOF, Juanita Bodmer said that their priority is getting children to learn all the skills they can get from education so that they can have better opportunities and achieve their dreams.
Bodmer said they are working with five service providers that include the AducAid, Street Child and Save the Children, to support the school leadership and teachers in accordance with the Basic Education Curriculum to improve learning in a very collaborative way. Also, the Sierra Leone government and other donor partners including the Bank of America, Korean International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) and UKaid, will pay the delivery partners 11.2 million dollars for the learning outcome achieved, which means that they will only pay the service providers after proof of the children they have taught.
She said that an independent quantitative evaluation by the Oxford Policy Management (OPM) will measure the impact of the programme in improving learning outcomes.
The Education Consultant/Advisor at MBSSE, Dr. Albert Dupigny, described it as a new programme being introduced not just to Sierra Leone but the rest of Africa, which he said is being implemented in Just Sierra Leone and Ghana, though Sierra Leone is a bit ahead of Ghana. He described it as a support for education at government-approved schools.
Dr. Dunpingny also noted that the selection of the schools was at random, which means they have samples of schools that are doing well as against others in the urban and rural communities across all the districts within the country.
The duration of the programme is September 2022 to August 2025 and the cost to donors per child per intervention year is 36 dollars.
He disclosed that if it is proven that girls are performing well, they will provide extra funding since girls .
The project is dived into lots among implementing partners. Lot one is implemented by EducAid and it covers Kambia, Port Loko, Western Area Urban, and Western Area Rural. Lot 2 by Street Child covers Bombali, Falaba, Koinadugu, Karene and Koinadugu. Lot 3 under the Rising is for Kono and Portloko. Lot 4 by the Save the Children covers Bo, Kailahun and Kenema with Lot five by NYAF covering Bonthe, Moyamba and Pujehun districts.
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