The Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education (MBSSE) has received a delegation from the World Bank in Sierra Leone.
It plays host on a week-long Free Education Project and Mission.
The 70 million United States Dollar Multi-Donor Trust Fund Free Education Project, is a support to the Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education, and is undergoing a mid-term review.
The World Bank Team in collaboration with the Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education including the Free Education Project Secretariat Staff under the leadership of Mr. Ambrose Tennyson Sesay as Project Coordinator is in the provinces conducting a thorough evaluation of the project interventions over the last couple years.
Since the Commencement of the Free Education Project of the Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary in 2021, it has made various interventions including construction and renovation of schools, hostels, improving facilities, and enhancing educational resources to promote learning opportunities for pupils across the country, teacher training programs which aim at enhancing the quality of teaching and learning by providing professional development and opportunities for teachers, setting up Grievance Redress Mechanism (GRM) Committees to play the vital role in ensuring transparency, accountability, and fairness in addressing grievances within the education sector by providing a platform for stakeholders to voice their concerns and seek resolutions, ultimately contributing to improved governance and service delivery in education, performance-based financing which is a funding approach ties to specific performance metrics, aiming to improve accountability and outcomes in education on pupils and teachers’ attendance.
All in the bid to support Government’s efforts to increase access, especially targeting marginalized communities, girls and children from rural areas, improve quality of education and to ensure equity in education by ensuring that all children, regardless of their background, have equal opportunities to learn and succeed.
The mid-term evaluation will thoroughly examine the above mentioned Project interventions and will target Twenty-Five (25) schools/sites including hostels across six districts over the period of three days.
Classroom observations and brief closed-door meetings will be held between the World Bank and School Heads and School Management Committees with particular respect to Performance Based Financing (BPF), plus meeting with district Grievance Redress Mechanism Committees with special attention to One Stop Centers and Rainbow Initiative.
The evaluation team is divided into three. The Minister of Basic and Senior Secondary Education, Mr Conrad Sackey is onboard and leads the Bo and Pujehun districts Team, while the other two are heading far East of Kenema and Kailahun, and Moyamba and Bonthe Team, Southern Sierra Leone.