Sierra Leone, like many other African countries, is facing a learning crisis. In sub-Saharan Africa, learning poverty, defined as the share of children unable to read and understand an age-appropriate text by age 10, is estimated at 89 percent by the World Bank, UNESCO, and other organizations.
Strengthening learning systems is crucial to improving foundational skills and ensuring students gain the knowledge needed for future opportunities. EducAid works with schools, teachers, and communities to transform education in Sierra Leone because every child deserves a high-quality education.
Current EducAid Projects
The Sierra Leone Education Innovation Challenge (SLEIC):
The SLEIC is a multi partner project working to improve learning outcomes, in literacy and numeracy, in public schools across Sierra Leone.
“There is a clean and peaceful learning environment in our schools now… Teachers now stand in the doorway to welcome learners in”
Mr Kamara, School Head Teacher (2023)
Find out more about the SLEIC here:
https://www.educationoutcomesfund.org/post/the-sierra-leone-education-innovation-challenge
Accountable Inclusive Education in Port Loko District:
Governance, literacy, numeracy and gender-responsive teaching in Port Loko.
LEAD FLN with Global School Leaders:
Foundational Literacy and Numeracy with school leaders support and research.
Freetown City Council Project for School Leaders:
Designing training and programmes for school leaders in Freetown.
District of Excellence:
EducAid is working on two projects to implement EducAid’s Top Ten Strategies with The Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education (MBSSE). The Top Ten Strategies for teaching and learning offer teachers practical ways to best support their students and their teaching.
Find out more: EducAid's Top Ten Strategies
See them in action on YouTube
Strategies in action through different projects in Port Loko District:
- 20 Senior Secondary schools (488 teachers, 8,861 students)
- 135 Primary schools (1,249 teachers, 40,517 students)
Resulting in improvements in:
- School leaders’ ownership of teaching and learning
- Attendance (staff and students)
- Replacing corporal punishment with preventative and restorative practice
- Reporting processes and girls’ safety
-Teaching skills including activity-based learning
- Improved learning outcomes
“This is the first time I have come across video content in Sierra Leone demonstrating Teaching and Learning strategies in practice. Since encountering these videos and receiving training from the EducAid team, I have used the videos to coach teachers and school leaders in my selected schools. There have been noticeable improvements in the schools I am working with as a result of the impact of the Top Ten Strategies videos. Among other things, teachers are now ensuring every child has a page where the teacher records their thoughts and comments, and they are also purposefully grouping learners.” Hawa (2024)
