Sierra Leone

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Country in a nutshell

Sierra Leone, officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Guinea in the northeast, Liberia in the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean in the southwest.

Sierra Leone has a population estimated at 6.4 million and covers a total area of 71,740 km2 (27,699 sq mi).

Its capital is Freetown - which is also the largest city and the economic centre (with a population of just over 1 million).

The country is a constitutional republic comprising three provinces and the Western Area, which are further divided into fourteen districts.

The country has a tropical climate, with a diverse environment ranging from savannah to rainforests.

English is the official language, spoken at schools, government administration and by the media. However, the Krio language (a language derived from English and several African languages and native to the Sierra Leone Krio people) is the most widely spoken language in virtually all parts of the country. The Krio language is spoken by 97% of the country's population and unites all the different ethnic groups, especially in their trade and interaction with each other - yet despite its common use throughout the country, the Krio language has no official status.

Sierra Leone is very rich in minerals and has relied on mining, especially diamonds, for its economic base. The country is among the top 10 diamond producing nations in the world, and mineral exports remain the main foreign currency earner. Sierra Leone also claims to be home to the third largest natural harbour in the world, the Queen Elizabeth II Quay (also known as the QE II Quay and locally as the Deep Water Quay or Government Warf).

Sierra Leone is the third lowest ranked country on the Human Development Index and seventh lowest on the Human Poverty Index, raising many challenges for the government and people. However, Sierra Leone is slowly emerging from a protracted civil war and is showing signs of a successful transition. Investor and consumer confidence continues to rise, adding impetus to the country’s economic recovery. There is greater freedom of movement and the successful re-habitation and resettlement of residential areas.

Sierra Leone is a predominantly Muslim nation. Followers of Islam are estimated to comprise 60% of Sierra Leone's population. Muslims predominate in all of the country's three provinces and plus the Western Area. Followers of Christianity comprise 10%, and those of African indigenous religion, 30%

The Sierra Leone constitution provides freedom of religion - the government generally protects this right and does not tolerate its abuse. Unlike many other African countries, the religious diversity of Sierra Leone has seldom led to conflict.

Education in Country

Education in Sierra Leone is legally required for all children for six years at primary level (Class P1-P6) and three years in junior secondary education. Primary education is free.

However, a shortage of schools and teachers has made implementation of this law impossible. Two thirds of the adult population of the country are illiterate.

The Sierra Leone Civil War resulted in the destruction of 1,270 primary schools and in 2001 67 percent of all school-age children were out of school. However, the situation has improved considerably since then with primary school enrollment doubling between 2001 and 2005 and the reconstruction of many schools since the end of the war. The Government has also set up special schools for children maimed as a result of the conflict in the country.

Public spending on education was 3.8% of GDP in 2005/06. There are six years of primary education and six years of secondary. The pupil-teacher ratio for primary is 37:1 and for secondary 27:1. The school year starts in September.

The principal tertiary institutions are Fourah Bay College in Freetown and Njala University, with campuses in Bo and Njala. These universities, together with Milton Margai College of Education and Technology (Freetown), Eastern Polytechnic (main campus in Kenema) and other independent tertiary institutions, are all affiliated to the University of Sierra Leone. The country also has a number of teacher-training and technical/vocational institutions providing certificate and diploma courses. Illiteracy among people aged 15-24 is 45.9% (2006).

The government's education plan for 2007-15 aims to complete rehabilitation of the country's education system, after the years of civil war, in order to give all citizens access to quality education. The plan emphasises primary education, skills training and tertiary education to meet development needs.

Schools in Country

The new structure of Sierra Leone’s educational system embraces a preprimary (nursery) education. The new statutory age for a child to enter primary school is six years. Children between the ages of three and six can receive preprimary education. The main objective of this nursery education is to prepare children for primary education. However, preprimary education can be formal or informal. Because it is not considered a right in the country, preprimary education is given in private schools in the capital, Freetown, and in other large towns in the country. The government pays the salaries of serving teachers in these schools and controls the private preschools through the Nursery Schools Association and the Inspectorate Division of the Department of Education.

The new 6-3-3-4 system allocates six years to primary schooling, from age 6 to 12. In the new system, all primary schools are controlled by the Department of Education. To open a new primary school, the Inspectorate Division must inspect the new school to ensure compliance with specified minimum national standards before being allowed to operate. However, private proprietors, missionary bodies, local governments, or such institutions as large businesses or university colleges are allowed to continue to operate primary schools for the children and wards of their workers. The student-teacher ratio is set at 40:1. At this level, emphasis is placed on the communicative competence of the children and their ability to manipulate figures. In classes one, two and three, the medium of instruction is the child’s community language, while English is the medium of instruction in the higher classes. The study of Sierra Leone forms a significant part of the child’s education so that the child will have a sound basic grasp of the facts of the country and its relationship to the world. Natural sciences and social studies receive considerable attention at this level. Continuous assessment of students has been introduced into the new system. At the end of class six, the last class of the primary school education, the student’s continuous assessment record card is to be submitted to the principal of the junior secondary school into which the student is accepted after taking the National Primary School Examination (NPSE). This exam, taken at the end of class six, is an external examination conducted by the West African Exams Council. It tests the whole range of the student’s competence.

Under the new system, secondary education is divided into junior and senior secondary schooling. After six years of primary schooling, the student spends three years in junior secondary school and another three years in senior secondary school. Junior secondary school (JSS) is the final part of formal basic education. It provides a broad-based general education to students between the ages of 12 and 15 years that will enable them to enter senior secondary school, vocational and technical education, or the workforce. The courses offered at this level are divided into core subjects, which are compulsory for all JSS students, and electives, which are chosen for study by the students with the help of their guidance counselors and parents.

Some of the aims of junior secondary education are to introduce subjects encouraging the development of nationally desired and marketable skills and the provision of training in community awareness and community responsibility. At the end of junior secondary school, students take the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE), conducted by the West African Examinations Council. Continuous assessment forms part of each student’s final grade.

Senior secondary school (SSS) is the final stage of the secondary school education; it is a three-year program for students between the ages of 15 and 18 who have completed the JSS course and obtained the required BECE grades. This level contains an element of specialization, preparing the student for university education or a professional school or any other postsecondary institution. There are two kinds of senior secondary schools—general and specialist. The general secondary school operates a comprehensive curriculum, while the specialist secondary school caters to students whose interests and aptitudes are for such specialized subject areas as science and mathematics, technology, liberal arts, and business studies. In general, students at this level are offered a set of core (compulsory) subjects and some optional subjects. At the end of senior secondary school, a student takes the Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination (SSSCE). A student’s grade at this examination, together with the student’s continuous assessment grade, determines the student’s final grade for this level

(http://schools.edu.sl/resources/sierra-leone-educational-system-overview/secondary-education/)

Further and Higher education

The country has two main universities:

1. the University of Sierra Leone, founded as Fourah Bay College in 1827 (the oldest university in West Africa) - http://www.tusol.org. On that site the University VC notes: "We have introduced computer courses for all students so that by the time they complete their courses they will be computer literate and well equipped to perform effectively in their places of work."
2. Njala University - http://www.nu-online.com (site not working at present). Thi is primarily located in Bo District, which was established as the Njala Agricultural Experimental Station in 1910 and became a university in 2005. In univerity form it was originally created as part of the University of Sierra Leone (USL) in 1964 with the help of USAID and offered degrees in conjunction with the University of Illinois. Subsequent legislation in 1972 paired Fourah Bay and Njala under the University of Sierra Leone Act, where the presidents of each institution switched the presidency of the USL on a biennial basis. This continued until 2005, when the University act separated Fourah Bay and NU into distinct institutions independently run. There is a fascinating historical overview of Njala University at http://internationalagprograms.okstate.edu/Seminar%20Series/Njala%20University,%20Sierra%20Leone%202.ppt

Teacher training colleges and religious seminaries are found in many parts of the country. These include:

1. Bo Teacher's College
2. Christ the King College
3. Eastern Polytechnic - but note that the institutional web site is not the one given as http://www.easternpolytechnic.com !
4. Magburaka Technical Institute
5. Makeni Teacher's College
6. Milton Margai College of Education and Technology
7. Port Loko Teacher's College

Note that they all have informative Wikipedia entries but the web sites given are not valid institutional web sites.

Administration and finance

Schools

Private institutions have always been a significant part of Sierra Leone’s education system. Unlike government/public institutions, private institutions do not receive assistance from public funds. The establishment and maintenance of private institutions is guaranteed in part 11, section 3 (c) of the Education Act No. 63 of 1964. The new system upholds the existence of private institutions as long as no child is discriminated against by the private institution on the grounds of race, creed, or religion. The new system endorses the principle of partnership in the provision of education. Although not funded with public funds, private institutions are expected to follow the prescribed national curriculum with specific reference to Sierra Leonean languages, Sierra Leone studies, and life skills subjects. They are also subject to regular and systematic inspection by the Department of Education Inspectorate staff. Students in these institutions are allowed to take the NPSE, BECE, and SSSCE. The new system stipulates that at least 25 percent of the teaching staff in a private institution shall be Sierra Leoneans.

References

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