Until recently, education was a rare privilege in Sierra Leone because it was not free. Access to quality education was limited to those who could afford it financially. In August 2018, Government of Sierra Leone (GoSL) launched a phased Free Quality School Education (FQSE) initiative that provides free admission and tuition to all children in government-approved schools. We applaud this timely initiative but lament that fact that there are still significant gaps in access and delivery.
The challenge is real and exigent, and is compounded by poverty, gender discrimination, long distances to schools, perceived low value placed on education, negative social norms practices such as early marriage (30 per cent of women are married before age 18), teenage pregnancy, and unsafe learning environments.
According to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the percentage of school age out-of-school children in primary, junior, and senior secondary schools is as follows: primary school (18%), Junior secondary school (19%), Senior secondary school (36%). School completion rates stand at: Primary: 64%, Junior Secondary: 44%, Senior Secondary: 22%.
The Max & Ada Bailor Educational Foundation is working tirelessly to change this narrative. We do this by partnering with local churches, civic groups, and community organizations to build schools, and to conduct training seminars, workshops, and conferences throughout Sierra Leone.
The Challenge
Until recently, education was a rare privilege in Sierra Leone because it was not free. Access to quality education was limited to those who could afford it financially. In August 2018, Government of Sierra Leone (GoSL) launched a phased Free Quality School Education (FQSE) initiative that provides free admission and tuition to all children in government-approved schools. We applaud this timely initiative but lament that fact that there are still significant gaps in access and delivery.
The challenge is real and exigent, and is compounded by poverty, gender discrimination, long distances to schools, perceived low value placed on education, negative social norms practices such as early marriage (30 per cent of women are married before age 18), teenage pregnancy, and unsafe learning environments.
According to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the percentage of school age out-of-school children in primary, junior, and senior secondary schools is as follows: primary school (18%), Junior secondary school (19%), Senior secondary school (36%). School completion rates stand at: Primary: 64%, Junior Secondary: 44%, Senior Secondary: 22%.
The Max & Ada Bailor Educational Foundation is working tirelessly to change this narrative. We do this by partnering with local churches, civic groups, and community organizations to build schools, and to conduct training seminars, workshops, and conferences throughout Sierra Leone.
We invite you to partner with us on this journey.
Why We're Concerned