By Hassan Osman Kargbo
The Minister of Basic and Senior Secondary Education, Conrad Sacker has confirmed that the ministry through their strengthening support for learning and work readiness objective plans have secured a $70 million support from some of their partners.
He made this disclosure on Tuesday, 12th September, 2023 at the Ministry of Information and Civic Education’s weekly press briefing held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Conference Room at Tower Hill, Freetown.
According to Minister Sacker, one of their objectives in the Education Ministry is to strengthen partnership, and through this policy they have been able to acquire more than $70 million from several partners.
He said they signed an agreement with World Bank giving GOSL $20 million for a foundational learning project, adding that they have also signed another agreement with “Education Above All”- a foundation that gave the government $13.7 million.
Also, he said, Global Partner for Education has approved $40 million for the Education Ministry, totalling more than $70 million in support for education.
Minister Sacker mentioned that for the ministry to run effectively, they have three components that always work hard with the Education Ministry, including the Teaching Service Commission that is in charge of the management of teachers; the West Africa Examination Council (WACE) that is in charge of examination activities and; the Sierra Leone Library Board.
He noted that the government is still committed to free quality education in the country, adding that despite the government’s Big Five project, education is still a priority to the government, ‘and that is why 22% of the country’s budget is still allocated to education’, he reiterated.
He called on more partners including the NGOs, parents and other bodies to work with the Basic and Education Ministry to achieve their goals.
He ended by informing the media that the West Africa Senior Schools Certificate Examination (WASSCE) result will be out within two weeks for students to prepare for their various university journeys.
