John Baimba Sesay: Sierra Leone Telegraph: 13 April 2020:
Sierra Leone’s Ministry of Basic and Senior School Education (MBSSE) and the Teaching Service Commission have launched a radio teaching programme for children and adolescents. The programme covers the core curriculum subjects for primary to senior secondary level education.
Working in partnership with the Ministry of Basic and Senior School Education (MBSSE), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in Sierra Leone is providing technical support to the Life Skills programme using content from the Government approved National Lifeskills manual, developed with funding from Irish Aid in 2016.
The life skills manual covers key topics for in and out of school adolescents, such as sexual reproductive health and rights, gender equality, child marriage, goals setting and leadership.
The radio teaching programme by the ministry with technical support from UNFPA is in direct response to the Covid-19 outbreak which led to the closure of schools.
Dr. Kim Eva Dickson, UNFPA Country Representative said “although the coronavirus pandemic has affected the school calendar in the country, this should not be an end to children’s right to education, life skills is an integral part of school education,” emphasising UNFPA’s direct support to the radio learning programme.
On Saturday, April 4th, UNFPA Sierra Leone supported the new presenters of the programme – Amara Sumaila, from the Non formal Education Directorate of the Ministry of Basic and Senior School Education (MBSSE) and Mrs Sarah James, teacher at Juba Baraks Junior Secondary School in Freetown, to record the first two episodes of the life skills programme before the three-day lockdown announced by the Government.
The life skills components of the radio programme are being aired every Monday to Friday from 7:30-8:00pm on 95.3FM and other regional radio frequencies.
The radio teaching programme first started in 2014 during the Ebola Virus Disease outbreak with more than a million children unable to attend school at the time.
For more information, you can contact John Baimba Sesay, Web and Media Analyst at UNFPA.
Email: jsesay@unfpa.org
Tel: +232 30953193
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