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Sierra Leone’s Team Lorem emerge as 1 of 20 country teams to win Generation Unlimited ImaGen Ventures Global Youth Challenge

The Directorate of Science, Technology, and Innovation (DSTI), in partnership with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Sierra Leone, and the  Ministry of Youth Affairs (MoYA) is pleased to officially celebrate the young innovators who represented Sierra Leone at the Generation Unlimited imaGen Ventures Global Youth Challenge. Team Lorem competed against 10,000 global submissions from 37 countries and won 15,000 USD in seed money and mentorship for their e-Learning intervention.

The team of three (L-R Abdul Rahim Jalloh, Emmanuel Kamanda & Lovetta Bangura) comprising of 3rd Year students from Fourah Bay College, University of Sierra Leone, pitched the intervention of the “EASY S.T.E.M (Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics) SERVER’‘. 

The easy stem server is a database server which gives college students access to massive S.T.E.M learning content offline. The intervention received high commendation for its unique business model which laid premium on affordability, reliability, and personalised content curation as its enduring hallmarks.

The announcement which took place at the COP27 Climate Summit in Egypt on the 10th November 2022 was live-streamed at a well-attended event in Freetown. The star-studded audience featured Government Ministers, Students, Civil Society Activists, Private Sector Executives, Representatives from Non- Governmental Organisations,  Journalists and many more.

Speaking on this amazing feat, Mohamed Orman Bangura, Minister of Youth Affairs, commended the participants for making the nation proud on the world stage. He also pledged the government’s commitment to building youth capacity and cementing hard-won gains in youth affairs. He continued by saying that this win is a testament to the fact that the government’s youth-centred agenda is bearing fruits. 

“It is a joy to see young people embracing the wave of opportunity, growth, and progress that technology offers. Interventions of this nature set the tone for a more extensive and robust youth agenda. Congratulations to Team LOREM. We are proud of you.” – Dr. Sulaiman Braimoh, UNICEF Representative In Sierra Leone.

“DSTI is grateful for the continued collaboration with UNICEF and the Ministry of Youth Affairs. The Generation Unlimited project aligns with the Government’s flagship Human Capital Development agenda. The success of these young people shows our relenting commitment to transmit the message of hope and development through education for every child in Sierra Leone” – Dr. David Moinina Sengeh, Chief Innovation Officer,  DSTI & Minister of Basic Education.

After an exciting event, Team Captain, Abdul Rahim Jalloh, was overjoyed;

“I am thrilled to have been part of this transformative experience, especially at a time when Africa longs and thirsts for a generation of creatives. I am very proud of our team, and all we have been able to achieve thus far. Big Thanks To DSTI, UNICEF, GenU, and MoYA. We are very excited for our next chapter.” – said Abdul Rahim Jalloh, Team Lead, LOREM.

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Sierra Leone Launches Three (3)  Digital Learning Hubs (DLH) to Boost Digital Skills Acquisition.

The Directorate of Science, Technology, and Innovation (DSTI), in partnership with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Sierra Leone, has launched and officially announced the opening of  3 Digital Learning Hub locations; at Fourah Bay College (FBC), Freetown, Ernest Bai Koroma University, Makeni, and the Eastern Polytechnic in Kenema. The opening of the hubs comes as a sequel to the opening of the first hub at Institute of Public Administration and Management (IPAM)  in November 2021.  

The establishment of the hubs aims to address existing challenges of skills gap for young people within the workforce by providing more digital learning opportunities. It also aims to boost the acquisition and retention of in-demand skills for young people intending to enter the job market and cultivate improved learning outcomes for the current workforce.

The Learning Hub will provide a conducive workspace with free access to computers and reliable internet connection. The hub’s registered users will also have access to a wide range of digital learning content via the Learning Passport platform to help learners fully capitalise on available opportunities. 

The Hub will function on a day-to-day management procedure, and operations will be facilitated by Big Bang World, an organisation with experience in the establishment, management and operation of digital learning centers.

The roll-out of these hubs is set to optimise and redefine existing notions about digital education in Sierra Leone meaningfully. The course content of this initiative is tailored to reflect a viable alternative to traditional learning methods and aligns with the broader objective of advancing the Human Capital Development Agenda of the Government of Sierra Leone and its partners. 

The hub at FBC will initially have the eUPSHIFT course available, but will later feature content from HP Life and other organisations.

UNICEF Sierra Leone’s Innovation officer, Janice Williams highlighted the progress made on Digital Innovation.

With the launch of these Digital Learning Hubs, we are making progress to deliver on UNICEF’s ReImagine Education agenda. Making digital platforms, like the Learning Passport, and digital content, such as the eUPSHIFT, available in Sierra Leone, we are taking a step towards making digital learning as one of the essential services for every child and young person.”

Echoing the promise of the hub in transforming skills acquisition and overall professional development of citizens is Vice Chancellor of USL, Professor Foday Sahr, 

We salute the efforts of DSTI and Unicef for breathing life into the aspirations of increased workforce development designed to foster job market competitiveness and reduce skills deficit. We are thrilled to host the digital learning hub and we are certain that its use will be maximised to its fullest potential” – Professor Foday Sahr.

Want to know more about the Learning Hub or how to be a member? Go to [https://www.dsti.gov.sl/portfolio/dlh/

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DSTI, UNICEF and MBSSE Train 84 Education Stakeholders across 4 Districts on the use and Benefits of the Learning Passport

The Directorate of Science, Technology and Innovation (DSTI) in collaboration with the Ministry of Basic & Senior Secondary Education (MBSSE) and the  United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF)   delivered a four (4) day training to 84 senior education stakeholders on the use of the – MBSSE Learning Passport (MBSSE-LP). The training took place across four districts; Port Loko,  Makeni, Bo and Kenema from the 26th – 30th of August 2022.

(DSTI’s LP Project Lead, Bani Forster Gives LP Overview Before Live Demo)

This training of education stakeholders promises to enhance examination preparedness amongst school children and improve general learning outcomes nationwide. This is one of those rare occasions where the promise of practical solutions is being shared with those who need it most.

(Training Participants With Staff From UNICEF, DSTI & MBSSE In Port Loko)

From the very start, the training which featured presentations on varied use cases and practical breakout sessions on the use of the platform held the promise of exploring a new frontier in digital education and dispel myths about leveraging tech for public education in Sierra Leone.

(Janice Williams, UNICEF’s LP Coordinator, Aiding Participants With The Mobile LP During Breakout Session In Port Loko)

The Learning Passport (LP) is a UNICEF and Microsoft-supported digital education platform that provides online, offline and mobile access to educational resources via technology devices. Learning Passport (LP) forms part of UNICEF’s ReImagine Education agenda under the flagship program Generation Unlimited

(UNICEF’s Innovation Officer, Janice Williams, Making The Opening Statement In Port Loko)

“Projects that advance digital learning like the Learning Passport, Digital Learning Hubs (DLH) and Giga provide the unique opportunity for Sierra Leone to adopt a dynamic, fluid and progressive approach towards innovation and digitization’’. – Janice Kaday Williams, Innovation Officer, UNICEF.

In line with the Government’s Free Quality School Education (FQSE) Programme, the MBSSE LP looks to make learning opportunities accessible, equitable and available on a large scale. The platform was launched in February 2022 and has recorded a consistent increase in its use with over 10,000 registered users. 

(Training Participants With Staff From UNICEF’s, DSTI & MBSSE In Bo District)

‘‘Building sustainable solutions to address critical skills deficits and prepare young people for a fast-paced digital future remains one of our compelling priorities at DSTI. The MBSSE-Learning Passport seeks to equip learners with digitized learning materials, past questions and most importantly mock exams with automated results.’’ – Jasper Sembie, Head of Operations & Finance, DSTI.

The training brought together personnel from the Teaching Service commission (TSC) and senior education staff from the respective districts for extended discussions on how this platform can be integrated into the learning process and used by school children for improved performance in public examinations. This will particularly provide access to quality learning resources for children in less privileged communities and help parents save money previously used to purchase past exam questions.

(Training Participant From TSC in Makeni Making A Contribution)

Speaking on the outcome of the trainings, Regional Coordinator (North) FSQE, Mr. Allieu Dausy Wurie and Director of Curriculum & Research MBSSE, Mr. Osman Kamara jointly emphasised that the training ‘is testament to the shared will and unsullied commitment between government and its development partners to increase access to quality learning opportunities in Sierra Leone. We will ensure that the knowledge acquired from this training trickles down into communities’’.

(Director of Curriculum & Research at MBSSE, Mr. Osman Kamara, Outlining The Goals of The Training in Port Loko)

NEXT STEPS

When asked “What’s Next ?”,  LP & DLH Project Coordinator at DSTI, Bani Forster,  confirmed that the wider team is currently holding consultations on the possibility of upscaling the training to include teachers and cover more provincial areas for targeted impact.  

He further explained that three (3) new learning hubs are set to be opened and these centres will provide users with access to the internet and computers where the LP can be used with ease and convenience.

“Learning Passport has the latent potential to redefine existing notions about the role of tech in accelerating learning outcomes. Our goal is to provide every child with choice, opportunities and quality education. These training sessions revealed so much excitement, positive energy and avenues for development; digital learning in Sierra Leone can only get better from here onward.” – Bani Forster, LP Project Lead, DSTI.

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Generation Unlimited Sierra Leone; A Blueprint for stumulating creativity and Upscaling Opportunities for young people in Sierra Leone

Youths across the globe stand on the brink of creating a revolution that will usher in the dawn of a new era. An era marked by resourcefulness, positive change, and sustainable development. Hence, an overarching need exists to create platforms that guarantee exposure, opportunities for creative problem-solving, and skills acquisition for young people.

(Young People at The Exhibition)

Through the Generation Unlimited Sierra Leone (GenU SL) initiative, the Ministry of Youth Affairs (MoYa), in partnership with the Directorate of Science, Technology, and Innovation (DSTI), and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF SL), hosted an exhibition and Bootcamp to showcase the impacts of various projects designed to expand opportunities for career development, entrepreneurship and sustainable livelihoods for young people between the ages of 10 and 24 years.

GENERATION UNLIMITED EXHIBITION

The exhibition, which took place on the 5th of March, 2022, at the Occasions Villa, Lakka, in Freetown, brought together over 150 participants from government agencies, UN Agencies, development partners, the private sector, and young people, who demonstrated some of their on-going projects and how these interventions are poised to positively impact the lives of children and young people in Sierra Leone.

(Young People At The Exhibition)

The quest to be part of this impactful process commenced 5 months earlier for these participants. On October 28th, 2021, the GenU SL National Partnership Committee put out a nationwide call for applications inviting young innovators across the country to submit solutions in a Youth Challenge that aims to address social challenges and improve the quality of life in their communities.

(Young People At The Exhibition)

15 teams were selected from over 400 team applications. On March 5th, 2022, an eager crop of young innovators began the week-long journey through workshops and team-building exercises designed to sculpt their ideas into practical products and solutions that can be taken to scale.

(Kids From Saint Joseph’s School For The Hearing Impaired)

“I am thrilled to be part of this transformative experience, especially when Africa longs and thirsts for a generation full of creative and innovative youth who show passion in everything they do. If we choose to develop in the best way possible, investing in our youth is the right course of action.” – Eliza Gloria Wilson, Exhibition & Bootcamp Participant.

The exhibition was a well-attended opening event that brought together leading experts from the professional spectrum. The star-studded audience featured Government Ministers, Civil Society Activists, Private Sector Executives, Representatives from Non- Governmental Organisations such as Plan International, Restless Development, One Family People, Journalists, and many more.

(UNICEF Country Representative Dr. Suleiman Braimoh & Hon. Min of Youth Affairs Mohamed Orman Bangura)

The exhibition’s central theme sought to promote public awareness about existing skills acquisition programs, shared learning, networking, and employment opportunities for young people in the public-private-youth partnership. In addition, young people could interact and engage with stakeholders on models for optimising large-scale investment opportunities, programmes, and innovations that could help young people become productive in life.

Making their respective statements at the exhibition, several speakers notably underscored the importance of young people acting and building the future they deserve. 

(Reps From DSTI, UNICEF & MOYA)

“Every old man was once a young man but not every young man will become an old man if they don’t make use of today. As a young person, you will have yourself to blame tomorrow if you do not make the best use of today.” – Mohamed Orman Bangura, Minister of Youth Affairs.

“Young people must embrace the wave of opportunity, growth, and progress that technology offers. Initiatives of this nature set the tone for a more extensive discourse on the role and evolution of tomorrow’s leaders.” – Michala Mackay, Chief Operating Officer and Director of DSTI.

“Young people constitute a significant proportion of the population in Sierra Leone and are pivotal to the country’s development. The GenU initiative provides an opportunity for all young people to network, showcase their talents, and harness existing opportunities to realise their potential to the fullest possible extent,” said Dr. Suleiman Braimoh, UNICEF Representative in Sierra Leone.

THE GENU IMAGEN VENTURES BOOTCAMP

The buzz and momentum from the exhibition day activities set the stage for the BootCamp.  The Bootcamp was designed as a 5-day workshop training that utilised UPSHIFT modular curriculum to instruct young people on developing social innovation skills in response to issues affecting their communities.

(Lead Consultant at Afriqia HR Solutions; Maryam Darwich Facilitates Bootcamp Session)

(Young People Engaged Team Building Exercise At Bootcamp)

THE GENU IMAGEN VENTURES PITCH COMPETITION 1.0

The Bootcamp culminated in a pitch competition where 5 of the most promising ideas were awarded USD 1,000 each in seed funding and technical support. The five winning teams were selected, representing Makeni, Western Area, and Kenema regions whose solutions centered around solving critical issues concerning Environmental Health, Climate Change, Disabilities inclusion, Digital skills, and Online learning tools.

(Participants From Team Normalnet At Pitch Competition 1.0)

MENTORSHIP & ACCELERATION PHASE

Following a successful first pitch, the five winning teams engaged in pitch training sessions with Innovation SL designed as diagnostic exercises to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the participant’s pitch skills and the feasibility of their business plans.

(Head of Innovations SL Francis Stevens George facilitating a pitch training session)

THE GENU IMAGEN VENTURES PITCH COMPETITION 2.0

These sessions ended with a final pitch competition at Mamba Point Hotel to determine the two most promising solutions to represent Sierra Leone at the GenU global youth innovation competition.

(Judges at the Pitch Competition 2.0)

“DSTI is grateful for the continued collaboration with UNICEF and the Ministry of Youth Affairs. The Generation Unlimited project aligns with the Government’s flagship Human Capital Development agenda. Being that the youth accounts for over 60% of the country’s population, projects like GenU awaken their entrepreneurial ingenuity and reaffirms our commitment to delivering on the National Development Plan” – Jasper Sembie, Head of Finance & Operations, DSTI.

(DSTI’s Head of Finance & Operations, Jasper Sembie, Delivering The Keynote Address)

After a heated battle of wits, teams LOREM AND TOMDACT won the pitch and will represent Sierra Leone at the global competition.

(TEAM LOREM – Pitched the idea of developing an e-learning intervention in STEM)

(TEAM TOMDACT – Pitched the idea of developing a skills training initiative for persons living with disability)

Watch the Official Live Announcement here

Tanya Phiri, Youth Innovation Specialist at UNICEF SL, speaking on the benefits and true goal of the initiative, emphasised that “As part of our robust big picture strategy, the young people will further receive mentorship opportunities to support the implementation of their projects. Ultimately, the aim is to inspire young people who possess brilliant ideas but lack the resources to actualize their dreams and make a difference in their communities”.

(Winning Teams from Pitch Competition 1.0)

NEXT STEPS

Following the completion and success of the Exhibition and Bootcamp, GenU project coordinator at DSTI, Fatmata Bangura, indicated that the project will continue with a 6-month Mentorship and  Acceleration phase. “Invariably, these are all geared towards ensuring that we adequately prepare the two most promising solutions to represent Sierra Leone at the ImaGen Ventures global youth innovation challenge,” she concluded.

About  Generation Unlimited Global

Generation Unlimited is a global multi-sector partnership designed to meet the urgent needs for expanded education, training, and employment opportunities for young people. Gen U, which prioritises young people in the development agenda, creates global public-private-youth partnerships to co-create and support large-scale investment opportunities, programmes, and innovations to become productive in life.

https://www.generationunlimited.org

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Sierra Leone Launches Digital Learning Hubs to boost skills Acquisition

5/11/21

The Directorate of Science, Technology, and Innovation (DSTI), in partnership with UNICEF, launches and officially announces the opening of the first Digital Learning Hub at the Institute of Public Administration and Management (IPAM).  

The establishment of the Hub aims to address the existing challenge of skills gaps for young people and within the workforce by providing more digital learning opportunities.

It also aims to boost the acquisition and retention of in-demand skills for young people intending to enter the job market and cultivate improved learning outcomes for the current workforce.

The Learning Hub will provide a conducive workspace with free access to 30 computers and reliable internet connection. The Hub’s registered users will also have access to a wide range of digital learning content via the Learning Passport platform to help learners fully capitalise on opportunities. 

The Hubs will function on a day-to-day management procedure, and operations will be facilitated by an organisation with experience establishing and operating digital learning centers.

The roll-out of these hubs is set to optimise and redefine existing notions about education meaningfully. The course content of this initiative is tailored to reflect a viable alternative to traditional learning methods and aligns with the broader objective of advancing the Human Capital Development Agenda. 

The hub at IPAM will initially have the eUPSHIFT program available, but will later feature Drones and UAV courses (theoretical and practical), Graphics Design, Multimedia and other courses.

Lead Project Coordinator at DSTI, Salima Bah, sees a great deal of promise in this initiative.

`We can only meet the demands of the 21st-century workforce if we acquire the capacity and skill sets required. With the establishment of the first DLH we are providing an opportunity for young people who are looking to enter the workforce as well as current members of the workforce to acquire the skills sets to make them competitive in the global economy. Tapping into the industry and ingenuity of the workforce through unconventional means is clearly the hallmark of this initiative.’ – Lead Project Coordinator, DSTI, Salima Bah.

UNICEF Sierra Leone’s Innovation Specialist, Shane O’Connor, highlighted the progress made on Digital Innovation.

With the launch of the 1st Digital Learning Hub, we are making progress to deliver on UNICEF’s Reimage Education agenda. Making digital platforms, like the Learning Passport, and digital content, like eUPSHIFT, available in Sierra Leone, we are taking a step towards making digital learning be part of a basic basket of essential services for every child and young person.”

UNICEF Sierra Leone’s Innovation Specialist, Shane O’Connor

Echoing on the promise of the hub in transforming skills acquisition and overall professional development of citizens is Deputy Vice-Chancellor of IPAM, Prof. Samuel Nonie

We salute the efforts of DSTI and Unicef for breathing life into the aspirations of increased workforce development designed to foster job market competitiveness and reduce skills deficit. We are thrilled to host the first digital learning hub in Sierra Leone and we are certain that its use will be maximized to its fullest potential” – Deputy Vice-Chancellor of IPAM, Prof. Samuel Nonie

Want to know more about the Learning Hub or how to be a member? Go to https://www.dsti.gov.sl/project/

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Redefining Engineering Entrepreneurship and Innovation Education At the University of Sierra Leone

15th May 2021- 

Mornings on the slopes of Mount Aureol are unlike any other; the chilled breeze and tranquil quietness are broken only by chirping birds, honking cars and the chatter of commuting students. These serene plains are home to the oldest western-style university in West Africa Africa. The Fourah Bay College (FBC), was founded in 1827 and for almost 200 years, it has been the epicentre of higher education and advanced learning in Sierra Leone.Despite its illustrious heritage   in the aftermath of an 11-year civil conflict which provoked a downward spiral in the type and quality of education, many efforts are being made to transform learning outcomes for students. .

In August 2018, H.E President Julius Maada Bio launched the Free Quality School Education (FQSE) Program and allocated 21% of the national budget to fulfil the government’s flagship commitment to boost educational standards nationwide. This undertaking promises to directly benefit 2.6 million school children , who make up approximately 37% of Sierra Leone’s population. These and other developments demonstrate that there is indeed the political will to effect inclusive and  radical reforms in education. Further engagements at the Technical and Higher Education level have seen the government increase the salary of university lecturers and student hostels and learning environments have been upgraded by the government. New departments of Mining Engineering and Architecture have been established at FBC as the government promotes human capital development relevant to the 21st Century. 

Much has changed at Mount Aureol since the gloomy days of the early post-conflict years; there is even an unfamiliar spectacle of DSTI’s CIO Dr David Moinina Sengeh, lecturing close to hundred students in a final year (honors). While Dr. Sengeh serves as the Minister of Basic Education, he is one of the young, dynamic and spirited academics rewriting the narrative in post-secondary education. The course he is currently lecturing is titled Engineering, Entrepreneurship and Innovation program (FENG 510).

Dr. Sengeh believes that FENG 510 has the potential to make meaningful contributions to Sierra Leone’s Human Capital Development Agenda through a robust course model designed to equip students to rethink business models that are more impactful, sustainable, and connected to other sectors of the economy such as Poverty Reduction, Education, Health and Agriculture.

FENG 510 can empower students with access to information, job opportunities, and services that invariably improve their living standard whilst enhancing opportunities for data gathering and analysis for more targeted and effective entrepreneurship strategies. However, the biggest value is that the course is hands-on. Students will develop and present prototypes accompanied by detailed business plans as part of the course – Dr David Sengeh.

Students currently enrolled in the course believe it raises crucial awareness, inspires and stimulates their interests as budding engineers to embark on careers focused on harnessing the culture of upscaling technologies to develop creative entrepreneurship schemes.

Mr Emmanuel Gaima, a mechanical engineering student, said; 

“The FENG 510 program presents a unique opportunity for Sierra Leone to leapfrog in its efforts to cultivate a sustainable nation-building drive. Dr. Sengeh is making great strides in this direction.  It is a surreal experience to be taught by Dr. Sengeh. He is cheerful, welcoming and above all highly intelligent. Bearing witness to what he has accomplished both academically and as a high-level government official  is a wake-up call to us as youths and future engineers, not merely to be spectators or observers in the struggle for national development but to be active participants and proponents of it.”

Miss Afanwi Dobgima, a student who hopes to specialise in electrical engineering, also expressed identical sentiments;

I think FENG 510 is an enlightening and mind-blowing class. Dr Sengeh has helped me to gain a better understanding of how we can co-opt technology and

entrepreneurship to improve Human Capital significantly. We have discussed at length the limitations of engaging technology here, two of which are inadequate electricity supply and data availability and affordability. As Engineering students, he challenges us to do more to tackle these issues. That being said, leveraging tech is a step-by-step process. With all hands on deck, we can help Sierra Leone achieve the best version of itself. These are some of the thoughts I always leave the classroom with. 

With such enthusiasm and appetite for success, Dr. Sengeh is convinced that students in the FENG 510 program are uniquely positioned to make cutting-edge interventions across multiple sectors in the coming years as they will possess the requisite toolkits to tackle existing drawbacks preventing the integration of emerging tech for national development. For Instance, in the Agricultural sector, farmers can leverage the Internet of Things to optimise productivity and reduce waste through data-driven “precision farming” techniques. Also, with numerous health challenges exacerbated by climate change, limited physical infrastructure, and a lack of qualified professionals, technology can help mitigate these threats and build sustainable health care systems.

Report

HCDI Education Innovation Challenge Reflection and Learning Summit Report

A comprehensive introduction to Sierra Leone’s Education Innovation Challenge (EIC) that captures in-depth analysis of the education data including nationwide primary school baseline assessment, interventions by education Service Providers, new education policy, and much more #transforming education in Sierra Leone.

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Government Incubator Education Innovation Summit highlights lessons from national pilot program

Learning by experimentation was the theme at the Education Innovation Summit hosted by the Human Capital Development (HCD) Incubator in Freetown, Sierra Leone last week. President Julius Maada Bio launched the HCD in 2018 as an Innovation in Government Incubator to test, seed, and scale innovations related to health, agriculture, and education.

The Incubator hosted education partners, Save the Children-SL, Rising Academy Networks, EducAid, National Youth Awareness Forum Sierra Leone (NYAFSL), and World Vision SL to exchange ideas, best practices, and innovations in education service delivery. Their winning ideas are currently being implemented in 170 schools and communities in Phase One of the Education Innovation Challenge

The leaderships of the Directorate of Science, Technology, & Innovation, the Ministry of Basic Senior Secondary School Education (MBSSE), and the Teaching Service Commission jointly co-chaired the event.

The Minister of MBSSE, Dr. David Sengeh, said that access to quality education in Sierra Leone has always been unequal; rural communities have had less than the Western Areas, and girls and women less than their male counterparts. He said that making education inclusive was a guiding principle for the Free Quality School Education Program. He also announced that the Education Innovation Challenge was to receive additional donor funding that would extend the pilot phase. 

Dr. Staneala Beckley

The Chairperson of the Teaching Service Commission, Dr. Staneala Beckley, said that the Summit’s purpose was to assess the pilot’s impact on learning outcomes for children. She said that the challenges and lessons gleaned from this phase would inform the pilot. 

Two representatives from the HCD and DSTI; Benjamin Davies and Foday N. Kamara, presented the EIC baseline findings—data collected from a random sample of ~10,000 students whose literacy and numeracy levels were evaluated by researchers before the pilot.

Wilsona Jalloh of the HCD Incubator gave a summary of The Challenge so far and reaffirmed the Government’s commitment to data collection. She said that the findings drive decision-making—not just the pilot design but education policy. The pilot’s singular focus is to improve learning outcomes for all of the children in Sierra Leone. The HCD will conduct an end-line study and review the 2020 National Primary School Examination results to learn more about the interventions’ impact. 

There was a breakout session for the various EIC implementing organizations. They brainstormed in smaller groups with DSTI, HCD, and other education stakeholders to understand what worked, the challenges, and outstanding questions. 

The EIC Summit closed with a recommitment of Government to the partners who will continue these innovations in education service delivery.

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