By Ragan M. Conteh

Tinap for Development (T4D) on Friday 13 October 2023 launched the Learning and Behaviour Project at the Council of Churches Sierra Leone.

T4D creates space for deprived and marginalised children and families to become active participants and beneficiaries of development activities in their communities.

Principal of Shengbe Pieh Memorial Secondary School and chairman of the event, Brima Kamara said he had interacted with T4D personnel several years ago.

He said the organisation saw a clear direction for things that promote girls’ education and other development activities in the communities.

He spoke on negative peer-group influence in schools especially drug abuse that is taking the lives of young men in society.

Making her statement, Country Director, Tinap for Development, Augusta Sankoh expressed appreciation for engaging stakeholders in the education sector concerning children.

The launching of the Learning, Attitude and Behaviour project, she said, was a dream that had come true.

She said “if the impact should be great and enduring, this initiative should go beyond just a school and owned by all.”

T4D, over the past eight, she went on, had a humble beginning in the Peninsular community has complemented government on key development interventions and similarly partnered with local and international organisations to improve development outcomes for women and children.

She said their work with schools started some years back when they partnered with a local non-governmental organisation on transformational school club activities to change the children’s mindset.

Mrs Sankoh also reiterated on lessons learned from that project as research and consultation with partners gave birth to the Learning Attitude and Behavior (LAB) initiative.

To catch them young, she opines, their key targets for now will be primary schools, adding that the LAB initiative will provide holistic support that goes beyond cognitive learning.

“We want to raise a sound and sane generation with good character because our human greatness does not lie on wealth and power but on character and good values,” she stated.

She proffers lot what has gone wrong, adding that as stakeholders in this sector, they need to lay bare some of these prevailing realities.

She maintained that it was sad as even at primary school level, pupils carry weapons such as knives, hooks, blades and other harmful materials to harm others or fight with pupils from   other schools.

According to our report, Sankoh said, some even had cliques (groups) with initiation activities.

“The use of obscene words and krio during school hours is rampant in most schools. Some  pupils come to school traumatised and broken but had no one to reliably talk to in confidence,” she asserted.

Mrs Sankoh also noted that most parents pay little or no attention on what is going on between the school and their children adding that they do not attend meetings let alone support government policies.

“All have gone silent, and how long should we wait to act collectively and decisively?” She urged the stakeholders.

“I believe it is now! My organisation is of the firm belief that with the right attitude and behaviour from the pupils, teachers, parents, community, we will see a major change and improvement in learning outcomes,” she emphasised.

She also appealed to all concerned in the education and development sector to give the initiative a thorough thought, own it and run with the Vision.

“We at T4D cannot do it alone. This initiative requires more technical brainstorming and the right resources for it to be rolled out across this country.” she emphasised.

“If we want to have a peaceful and stable nation, there is need for correction and it is now,” she reiterated.

Giving an overview of the Project, Moses Beckley said, LAB project was an initiative of T4D which fell within the organization’s key target on education: early childhood learning, inclusive and rights-based education and the promotion of innovative teaching techniques for improved leaning outcomes.

The project, he says, anchors on the Medium National Development Plan, attitude and behaviour concept theory, the UN convention on the rights of the child and Sierra Leone education sector plan.

He said attitude and behaviour determines everything, adding that the project is geared towards providing psychosocial support in schools, building good character, positive peer support, building capacity of school authority and strengthening child-friendly service in schools and community engagement.

Beckley identifies the organisation’s   key targets as primary schools pupils, parents, guardians and school authorities.

He maintained that the methodology use is to conduct interactive and innovative training sessions for teachers, pupils and parents.

Beckley also disclosed that the key objective is building a well-behaved generation with excellent attitude.

In her keynote address, Director of School Quality Assurance at MBSSE, Florence Kamara expressed gratitude to T4D for their remarkable work in promoting children’s education through the launching LAB project.

Education, she says, is the cornerstone of everybody’s progress adding and she holds the belief that attitude and behavior affect learning outcomes.

Mrs Kamara also stated that attitude will be able to build Children’s culture and assured her of   ministry’s support to T4D-SL to build excellent students.

Kamara said was an increase of lawlessness, indiscipline and examination malpractices even among teachers.

Representatives from the Curriculum and Research Unit MBSSE and Catholic Relief Services, Rugiatu Kalokoh and Santigie Kabia appreciated TD4 for the LAB initiative.