GPE COnsortium hailed "the best thing" by Minister of Education

_{Dr David Sengeh, Minister of Basic Senior Secondary Education addressing audience at the GPE close out event, Radission Blu, Freetown, June 15. Photo credit: Save the Children}

“This is the best thing we’ve done. Setting up a conosrtium of International and Local expertise to deliver on the government’s education priority.”

Dr. David Moinina Sengeh, Minister of Basic and Senior Secondary Education (MBSSE) hailed the GPE NGO Consortium on the 15^th June, 2022 at the project’s closing and leanring event at Radisson Blu Conference Center under the theme “safely back to school”. The event was attended by over one hundred guests including Senior Government officials, District Education Directorates, World Bank, representatives from Irish Aid, European Union, NGO Consortium Member organizations and other partners.

The Minister noted that the GPE-NGO Consortium complemented, “effectively, efficiently and with quality” the government of Sierra Leone’s COVID-19 Education Emergence Response in all 16 districts of Sierra Leone.

The project reached over 570 primary and secondary schools in marginalized communities, directly reaching over a hundred thousand children and over ninety thousand adults.

The Chief of Party for the NGO Consortium, Mr. Kalako Mondiwa proudly reported that the project achieved all targets for three project outcomes, remarks that were echoed by Mr. Alpha Sesay, District Education Directorate, Falaba District and Dr. Mari Shojo, World Bank’s Education Team Leader.  He reported that the project expanded COVID-19 awareness, from 80% to 92% and increased access to child friendly feedback and reporting mechanism by 50%. The project also improved literacy (reading skills) outcomes by 44% for close to 30,000 children who participated in the project’s distance learning activities including learning circles using solar radios and teaching at the right level (TARL) methodology.

_{Zainab, secondary school student talks about the impact of the GPE project on vulnerable children at the GPE close out event, Freetown. Photo credit: Save the Children}

Zainab, a pupil of the United Muslim Association Secondary School, representing children explained how the project improved their COVID-19 prevention awareness and how the project supported them with school learning materials and after school learning through the learning circles.  She also acknowledged, with a contagious smile how the project improved children’s safety in schools including making the learning environment more inclusive by providing teacher training and assistive devices for children with disabilities.  The support allowed many children to safely return to, and stay in school. 

Donors, government and civil society partners at the GPE close out event at Radisson Blu, Freetown on 15 June, 2022. Photo credit: Save the Children

The project was funded by the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) through the World Bank. The seven NGO Consortium members include Save the Children International, Concern Worldwide, Handicap International, Plan International, Focus 1000, FoRUT and Street Child.

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