By Politico Staff Writer
The British High Commissioner to Sierra Leone Lisa Chesney has Announced an additional 25 million grant to Sierra Leone’s education sector under the Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education (MBBSE).
The grant which is meant for a new five-year programme is funded by the United Kingdom government to support Secondary Schools in the country.
The announcement was made on the 16th March 2023 at the New Brookfields Hotel in Freetown.
According to the British High Commissioner, they are selecting an organization to work closely with MBSSE over the next years on policy and planning. She expressed delight that the event marks a moment of reflection as they enter the next phase in UK support to the education sector in Sierra Leone.
“We all know that any programme can only be good as the prevailing policy environment and leadership in the sector – and both have been excellent, gaining Sierra Leone recognition internationally as well as nationally. This has needed vision and boldness – the investment in human capital the government is making today sets the stage for an intergenerational rollback of poverty and progress for women, in particular. We are proud of our contribution to these achievements,” she said.
Chesney said that the Radical Inclusion and Free Quality School Education have provided a clear agenda for action, noting that “Leh Wi Lan” has worked in close collaboration with a wide range of MBSSE colleagues at national, district and school levels under the leadership of Minister Sengeh.
She went on to say that, the aim has not only been to improve the quality of education delivery at the school level but also to build the education system’s own internal capacity to deliver. She added that the impact has been achieved through a judicious blend of many impactful interventions over the past six years.
High Commissioner Chesney noted that the event is to share the many lessons learnt and the incredible achievements of the “Leh Wi Lan” Project funded by the United Kingdom Aid through the British High Commission, implemented by Mott Macdonald, working closely with MBSSE.
“This has been our flagship intervention in the education sector since 2016, during which time ‘Leh Wi Lan’ has become a widely known household name. The quality of the learning experience for all secondary learners has improved but especially for girls and children with disabilities,” she said.
She recalled the recent visit of the British Foreign Secretary, James Cleverly which she said shows how effectively the United Kingdom and Sierra Leone work together on the issues that matter to both parties. She added that education was front and centre on the Foreign Secretary’s visit and according to him, the children at school were wonderful ambassadors for the power of investing in education.
The Minister of Basic and Senior Secondary Education Dr. Moinina David Sengeh highlighted gains made by Sierra Leone in the education sector. He noted that there is absolutely no indicator of learning in which Sierra Leone is not better today than where it was in 2018, adding that the country will only get better in the coming years.
He encouraged partners to go beyond the figures that they are seeing and go to the classrooms and see the impact in the education sector for themselves.
“I want you to look at the partnership between Sierra Leone and the UK in three ‘I’s; Information, Impact and Idea,” he said.
Copyright © 2023 Politico (17/03/23)
