By Saio Marrah
Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education (MBSSE), has in partnership with Leh Wi Lan and others, established a website called knowledge platform that is geared towards enhancing and providing access to education.
In her welcome address, at its launch, the Communication Officer of MBSSE, Khadija Emirs Conteh, described the Knowledge platform at the Women’s Hall, CCSL in Freetown on Tuesday,4th October, 2022, as a comprehensive digital library of information, tools, and research on secondary level students ‘ teaching, knowledge and learning.
She said it offers high quality research and recommendations to all education users noting that the platform will consolidate digital space for MBSSE and education partners, strengthening relationship between research, policy and practice.
The Team Leader for Leh Wi Lan, Mohamed Barrie, in his statement, described it as another remarkable event for the MBSSE and partners and the education sector as a whole.
He said Le Wi Lan is a programme that is funded by Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) working with MBSSE/TSC, and other partners to develop a knowledge platform that can serve as a centralised and digital repository platform of information and resources for the education sector.
He said the platform was developed after a consultation with key stakeholders that include the MBSSE and that the ministry will take full management of the website, which he said, include quality assurance of partners resources and the uploading of the resource.
He also said that the platform primarily is a tool to support government policymakers, development partners and to some extent school leaders.
“This platform will allow MBSSE/TSC and education partners to access useful resources that support them in their work to improve teaching and learning. The platform will assist school level stakeholders including school leaders, parent/guardians, community members and even students to access useful teaching and learning resources, “he said.
The Director of Curriculum and Research, Osman Kamara, described the initiative as an attempt to save the misuse of social media and the internet.
He said it can be used to have access to past question papers, all syllabus for the National Primary School Examination (NPSE), Mathematics and English for the senior schools.
According to him, the members of the public are encouraged to come up with their books for uploading to the platform after an approval from the ministry.
Among the other features of the website, it has options like “using this platform” that tells what the platform provides, and how to use it.
Teaching guides and resources, school management and supervision, policy and research and, learning materials are among the other features of the website.
Under the school management and supervision it addresses issues such as how to report sexual and gender based violence in schools.
School pupils, school authorities and Civil Society Organisations were among the attendees the website launch. Questions were raised around accessibility for those that cannot afford to have a smartphone and data, as well as the sustainability of the platform.
The participants also gave their comments about what they have learnt from what the website provide and how they stand to benefit from it.
A pupil from the Saint Joseph Secondary School, Fatima E.S.Sewah, said she learnt that the website also teaches them about hygiene as female pupils and how they can access resources freely.
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