Freetown, Sierra Leone -- (Awareness Times) -- 01/27/10 -- The Education For All – Sierra Leone Coalition (EFA-SL) is seriously concerned about the reduced budgetary allocation from 11.3% in 2009 to 10.8 percent this year. This allocation falls far below the 20% margin earlier agreed by Governments all over the world including Sierra Leone.
It is a concern that Sierra Leone is among the countries referred to by the President of the Global Campaign for Education (GCE), Kailash Satyarthy on the launch of "The Global Monitoring Report" on 19 January 2010 by the Un Secretary General in the UN Headquarters in New York:
"After a decade of progress in education, the report launched today (19th January) shows that achieving education for all is in threat due to governments failed commitments. ….the Global Campaign for Education (GCE) is demanding urgent political attention to education to make sure that we get all children to school"
National education budgetary allocations in Sierra Leone over the years have been very limited and rarely reflect the needs of the expanding and challenging educational system for the achievement of the EFA and Millennium Development Goals by 2015.
The education budget has not been substantial to ensure:
- Sierra Leone’s 400 thousand children out of school go to school,
- the required Pupil Teacher Ratio (40: 1) is achieved,
- access and retention of children in schools is promoted,
- increased investment in the primary and tech/voc sectors, which are critical to poverty reduction and sustainable economic development is stepped up,
- the required capital and infrastructural investment; construction, rehabilitation, and equipping schools,
- information, communication, technological and science education is promoted,
- the review and reappraisal of the education systems, structure, curriculum etc is undertaken,
- adult literacy and family learning is supported,
- qualified and highly motivated and remunerated teachers are employed,
- the Education Sector Plan for Sierra Leone is achieved.
Sierra Leone qualified for the HIPC and Fast Track Initiative (FTI) funding due to a viable National Education Plan (the Education Sector Plan - 2005-2015) and commitment to the 20% National budgetary allocation to the education sector and other education and development benchmarks. We may lose these incentives due to this reduction in budgetary.
Education For All Sierra Leone Coalition
16 Robert Street - Freetown
Sierra Leone - West Africa
Mobile: +232-33803740/076-212175
Email: efa_sl@yahoo.com
Last Modified: January 11, 2012
