Sierra Leone: Education Country Brief

January 2024
Sierra Leone flag
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Background

This brief provides data and references to the literature on issues that matter for education in Sierra Leone. It is part of a series that provides a brief introduction to the state of education systems in Africa. The work was prepared for country pages on IICBA’s website and a digital repository of resources at the country, sub-regional, and continental level. The brief series also informs work conducted in the context of (i) the European Union’s Africa Regional Teachers’ Initiative and (ii) the KIX (Knowledge and Innovation eXchange) Africa 19 Hub for anglophone countries that promotes the use of evidence for policy making and benefits from funding from the Global Partnership for Education and Canada’s International Development Research Center. This brief and its associated webpage are meant to be updated as new information becomes available, at least on a yearly basis. 

Key resources: This brief provides the following resources: 

  • Educational outcomes: Estimates are provided for learning poverty (the share of 10-year-old children not able to read and understand a simple text), educational attainment and/or enrollment rates at various levels of education, the components of the human capital index, and human capital wealth as a share of national wealth. 
  • Selected literature: Links are provided to selected publications at the global, regional, and country levels with a focus on six themes: (i) learning assessment systems; (ii) early childhood education; (iii) teaching and learning; (iv) the data challenge; (v) gender equality; and (vi) equity and inclusion. 
  • Country policies: Links are provided to key institutions (including Ministries) managing the education system, selected policy and planning documents, and websites that aim to provide comparative data on policies across countries.
  • Knowledge repositories and other resources: Links are provided to a dozen digital repositories that collate publications and resources on education issues in Africa. 
  • Data: Links are provided to data sources that can help inform education policy.

This country brief provides a brief introduction to selected issues and research relevant to Sierra Leone’s education system and links to resources that may be useful to official of Ministries of Education and other education stakeholders. A special focus is placed on thematic areas from the KIX (Knowledge and Innovation eXchange) initiative for which UNESCO IICBA manages the Secretariat of the Africa KIX 19 Hub. Together with the associated webpages on UNESCO IICBA’s website, the brief is to be updated as new information becomes available, typically every year. The brief starts with a review of basic data on educational outcomes including learning poverty, educational attainment, and the human capital index. The focus then shifts to information related to the thematic areas of focus of the KIX Africa 19 Hub, namely: (i) learning assessment (ii) early childhood education; (iii) teaching & learning (iv) data challenge; (v) gender equality; and (vi) equity and inclusion. The brief also includes links to country documents and processes as well as a range of other resources and websites.

Educational Outcomes and Human Capital

Sierra Leone, like many other African countries, is facing a learning crisis. In sub-Saharan Africa, learning poverty, defined as the share of children unable to read and understand an age-appropriate text by age 10, is estimated at 89 percent by the World Bank, UNESCO, and other organizations. While specific country estimates are not available for Sierra Leone, the World Bank Capital Index suggests concerning developments. According to their data, students in Sierra Leone score 316 on a harmonized test score scale where 625 represents advanced attainment and 300 represents minimum attainment. This benchmark corresponds to the advanced achievement standard set by the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study. It is imperative to improve the quality of the education provided in schools. 

Schooling does not imply learning, but lack of learning increases the likelihood of dropping out of school. According to the World Bank and UNESCO Institute of Statistics, the primary school completion rate was at 97 percent in 2021 for boys and 100 percent for girls. The lower secondary completion rate was at 46% for boys and 67% for girls in 2021. Recent statistics on gross enrollment in tertiary education is unavailable.  

The Human Capital Index for Sierra Leone also provides useful statistics based on five other variables: (i) the probability that a child will survive past age five (89 percent); (ii) the years of schooling that a child is expected to complete by age 18 (9.6 years); (iii) the learning-adjusted years of schooling that a child is expected to complete, a measure combining years of schooling and average harmonized test scores (4.9 years); (iv) the adult survival rate (63 percent of 15-year olds surviving until age 60); and finally (v) the probability that a child will not be stunted in early childhood (71 percent). Based on these five variables and the harmonized test score, the expected productivity in adulthood of a child is estimated in comparison to full productivity that could be expected with full education and health. The estimate is that a child born in Sierra Leone today will reach only 36 percent of its potential. This is lower than the average for sub-Saharan Africa region and low-income countries.

One last statistic may help make the case for the importance of investing in education for the country’s development. A country’s wealth mainly consists of three types of capital: (1) Produced capital comes from  investments in assets such as factories, equipment, or infrastructure; (2) Natural capital consists of assets such as agricultural land and both renewable and nonrenewable natural resources; (3) Human capital is measured as the present value of the future earnings of the labor force, which in turn depends on the level of educational attainment of the labor force. The latest estimates from the World Bank suggest that human capital wealth in Sierra Leone accounts for 49 percent of national wealth. 

Sierra Leone table
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Selected Literature

Supporting countries in using evidence for policymaking is an objective shared by many organizations and initiatives. Under the KIX initiative for which UNESCO IICBA manages the KIX Africa 19 Hub and collaborates with KIX Africa 21, the focus is on six themes: (i) learning assessment systems (ii) early childhood education; (iii) teaching and learning (iv) the data challenge; (v) gender equality; and (vi) equity and inclusion. For each topic, a link is provided to the GPE-KIX Discussion paper written at the start of the initiative in 2019 and additional publications that could be useful for policy. By necessity, to keep this brief short, only a few resources can be mentioned, but additional resources can be accessed through digital repositories listed below. A brief note on UNESCO IICBA research is also provided.

Learning Assessment Systems [GPE-KIX Discussion Paper]. Learning assessment tools and systems are essential to gauge and improve learning outcomes for students. A primer on large scale assessments from the World Bank provides guidance on such assessments, as does a review of learning assessments in Africa from UNESCO IIEP. Among regional assessments, PASEC (Programme for the Analysis of Education Systems) for francophone countries in West and Central Arica and SEACMEQ (Consortium for Monitoring Educational Quality) for anglophone countries in East and Southern Africa are the best known. These instruments target primary schools. Other tools that focus and assess the learning outcomes of young learners include the Early Grade Reading and Mathematics Assessments (EGRA/EGMA). Supported and funded primarily by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), these assessments are administered by different agencies such as the World Bank, RTI International and others across the continent. The West African Examinations Council also provides guidance on examinations and certificate accreditation in Anglophone countries of West Africa Also interesting is PISA for development which is being piloted in secondary schools in a few African countries.  

Sierra Leone is a member of the West African Examinations Council and has participated in the participated in Early Grade Reading and Mathematics Assessment (EGRA/EGMA). The National Primary School Examination, taken at the end of primary school, is facilitated by the West African Examination Council (WAEC). The Basic Education Certificate Examination at the end of nine years of schooling and then the Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination following the completion of senior secondary schooling are other national examinations. In 2016, a national learning assessment policy framework was delivered and validated. In 2022, the Global Education Monitoring (GEM) Report Team provided a comprehensive overview of Sierra Leone’s efforts to establish learning assessment systems.

Improving Teaching and Learning [GPE-KIX Discussion Paper]. How teachers and students interact and engage is key to improve learning outcomes. Cost-effective approaches pr ‘smart buys’ to improve learning in low-income countries are discussed in a World Bank report. Teaching is paramount, and therefore so are teacher policies to ensure that successful teachers make for successful students. Standards for the teaching profession were proposed by Education International and UNESCO with regional standards available from the Africa Union Commission, including a framework for standards and competencies. 

Sierra Leone uses a 6-3-3-4 structure including six years of primary, three years of junior and senior secondary each, and four years of tertiary education. In Sierra Leone, the 2020 National Curriculum Framework and Guidelines for Basic Education provides guidance to stakeholders on improving learning in the country.

Strengthening Early Childhood Care and Education [GPE-KIX Discussion Paper]. Experiences children undergo in early childhood can affect their entire life. Nurturing care is essential. Essential interventions in early childhood include pre-primary education.  Yet less than half of young children in Africa benefit from pre-primary education according to the Global Education Monitoring report 2021.  The Early Childhood Development Index (ECDI) is a tool by UNICEF that can be used to measure the overall well-being of children aged 2-5. It does this by assessing their development in key areas such as literacy and numeracy, physical development, social-emotional development, and learning capacity. The Office of Research at UNICEF maintains a webpage with useful links to organizations working on child-related themes organized by subject, including early childhood. 

In Sierra Leone, 51.4% of children under 5 years are developmentally on track according to the ECDI.  According to UNICEF’s Education Analysis for Global Learning and Equity 2018 survey data, the percentage of children aged 3-5 ECE programs remained relatively constant from 2000 to 2017, ranging from 12% to 14%. The survey also noted geographic disparities -- while 27% of urban children were enrolled in childhood education, only 3% of rural children were enrolled. Basic data on early childhood development are available from a nurturing care profile.

Achieving Gender Equality In and Through Education [GPE-KIX Discussion Paper]. The cost of gender inequality is massive, as is the cost of not educating girls, including in Africa. When girls lack education, this affects their earnings in adulthood, the number of children they will have and their health, as well as their agency, among others. When girls are not in school, they are also at higher risk of child marriage, with again high costs for them, their children, and society. In Africa, the African Union’s International Centre for the Education of Girls and Women in Africa supports member states on girls’ education. 

According to UNICEF MICS-EAGLE findings, at the primary level, there is almost an even percentage of boys who finish compared to girls (63 percent versus 65 percent) in Sierra Leone. However, this pattern changes at the secondary school level, especially at the upper secondary level where 27% of males complete upper secondary as compared to 18% of females suggesting factors specific to girls that impede their education. In 2020, UNICEF and IIEP published an education sector analysis examining the enabling environment for gender equality in the country.  The report finds that boys tend to outperform girls in the national exams (NPSE and BECE). It finds that pregnancy and child marriage are two of the most common reasons why girls drop out of school at the secondary level and provides recommendations to address these disparities. Furthermore, a 2022 UNICEF report on Child Marriage in Child marriage in West and Central Africa estimates that 3 in 10 young women were first married or in union before the age of 18. 46% of women aged 20 to 24 years who were first married or in union before age 18 had no education as compared to 19% who had at least a secondary education.

Data Management Systems Strengthening [GPEKIX Discussion Paper]. Education management information systems (EMIS) are key for management. They can also support evidence-based policymaking. In Africa, the African Union’s Institute of Education for Development supports member states on EMIS. In addition to EMIS data, other data sources including household surveys, school surveys, student assessments, and impact evaluations of pilot interventions are essential to inform policy. 

A 2022 study on EMIS in Sierra Leone by Sightsavers recommended developing regulatory norms, securing dedicated funding, and deploying qualified human resources for enhancing EMIS in the country. 

Equity and Inclusion/ No One Behind [GPEKIX Discussion Paper]. Equity and inclusion are major challenges for education systems. Gender, disability, ethnicity, indigenous status, poverty, displacement, and many other factors may all lead some children to lack access to education. In Africa especially, gaps in educational outcomes between groups may be large, as illustrated in the case of disability. Equity must be at the center of education policy on the continent. The Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) are Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) are two major international frameworks related to disability-inclusive education exist.

The Free Quality School Education initiative was launched in August 2018 by the government with the goal of providing all children in Sierra Leone with access to free, quality education at government-approved schools. The gap in educational attainment between children from the richest and poorest quintiles widens significantly as they progress through school. For example, 41% of children from the richest quintile complete upper secondary education, compared to only 2% of children from the poorest quintile according to MICS EAGLE (2017) findings. 

The same report notes that 23% of children aged 5 to 17 across the country have at least one functional difficulty. Children with functional difficulties (70%) are not significantly less likely to attend school than those without disabilities (73%).The introduction of the National Policy on Radical Inclusion in Schools (2021) marks Sierra Leone's first effort to establish a comprehensive framework that guides the daily functions of educational institutions to foster an inclusive and equitable educational environment for all students, irrespective of their societal standing. For more country specific data on disabilities see UNICEF’s report “In Pursuit of Education for All in West and Central Africa: What do the data tell us about children with disabilities”. 

Note on UNESCO IICBA Research. IICBA recently launched a new program of applied research on teacher and education issues in Africa. A total of 200 publications have been completed from January to September 2023, including studies, discussion papers, training guides, reports, knowledge briefs, event summaries, and interviews. Several of those publications focus on Sierra Leone. All publications are available on IICBA’s website. 

Country Policies 

Information on Sierra Leone’s education system and policies is available on the website of the Ministry of Education which covers basic and senior secondary education while the Ministry of Technical and Higer Education  covers higher and technical education as well as vocational training (TVET). The Education Sector Plan: transforming learning for all(2022-2026) is the flagship policy guiding the sector. The 2020 Education Sector Analysis report by UNESCO IIEP and UNICEF centers on gender and assesses the overall performance of the education and training system, addressing aspects such as coverage, efficiency, quality, equity, and external efficiency. 

Sierra Leone does have a teaching service commission.  

A few organizations aim to capture education policies on specific themes across countries, including Sierra Leone. UNESCO’s Profiles Enhancing Education Reviews (PEER) covering the themes of the Global Education Monitoring reports, including: inclusion in education (2020 Report), non-state actors in education (2021/22 Report), technology in education (2023 Report) and leadership in education (2024/25 Report, forthcoming). PEER also covers additional topics on key SDG 4 issues, including financing for equity, climate change communication and education, and comprehensive sexuality education. 

Knowledge Repositories

Only a few links to the literature on education by theme for Sierra Leone, Africa, and globally were provided earlier to keep the brief short, but repositories of digital resources facilitate access to the literature. A few of those repositories are listed below by alphabetical order:

Many organizations maintain websites that include country pages with useful information. Examples include the GPE Sierra Leone Country Page; World Bank Sierra Leone Country Page; UNESCO IIEP Country Page. Many organizations also maintain blogs on education issues, often with stories on Africa. Examples include Education for All (Global Partnership for Education), Education for Global Development (World Bank), Education Plus Development (Brookings Institutions), and World Education Blog (UNESCO). Beyond blogs focusing on education, blogs on Africa more generally may also provide useful resources. This includes Africa Can End Poverty and Nasikiliza (the World Bank’s two blogs for sub-Saharan Africa ) and  Arab Voices (the Bank’s blog for the Middle East and North Africa).

Data

It is often useful to download data for Sierra Leone and other countries from multi-country databases. The largest database on development, including education data, is the World Bank’s World Development Indicators (WDI). The World Bank also maintain the Education Statistics (EdStats) database. Both World Bank databases rely in part for education on data from the UNESCO Institute of Statistics. UNESCO also maintains the Global Education Observatory and the World Inequality Database in Education (WIDE), as well as a wide range of other databases. Specific estimates are occasionally maintained by other agencies. For example, UNICEF provides data on out-of-school rates, adjusted net attendance rates, completion rates, foundational learning skills, information communication technology skills, youth and adult literacy rates, and school-age digital connectivity. Another useful reference is StatCompiler which provides data at various levels of aggregation from Demographic and Health Surveys across countries and over time, including Sierra Leone. For comparison purposes, data from the OECD for member and partner countries (including South Africa) can be useful.

References

References are available through the links provided in this brief.