"Today, it is truly remarkable and such a wonderful day for EOF, for the government of Sierra Leone and for me, personally as the Chief Innovation Officer of the DSTI and the Minister of Basic and Senior Secondary Education. To say to the world, that we did say we would do this in 2018 and today we are going from a $1.5M to an $18M program, today we are going from 170 schools to 325 schools. That is the power of collaboration" - Dr. David Moinina Sengeh.
On Thursday 1 September 2022, in Freetown, we celebrated the launch of the Sierra Leone Education Innovation Challenge (SLEIC) with more than 140 stakeholders from across the nation and from the international development community.
Dr. Yatta Kanu, the Chief Education Officer at the Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education with Milena Castellnou, Chief Programs Officer at Education Outcomes Fund (EOF) gave the opening remarks, stressing how important and exciting the launch of this programis to the EOF, the Government and the children of Sierra Leone.
Presentations on approaches to improving learning were given by each of the five local and international NGOs who will work with schools and communities as part of the program. More about their unique interventions, can be accessed here.
Madiana Samba, EOF Senior Program Leader, chaired a panel on the future of education in Sierra Leone. Panel members were Dr. David Moinina Sengeh, Chief Innovation Officer of the Directorate of Science, Technology and Innovation and the Minister of Basic and Senior Secondary Education for Sierra Leone, Ali Inam, Investment Manager, Emma Spicer, UK Development Director, Nancy Cooper from the Rising Academy Network, as well as a headteacher, Yomie Charles and a student, Marie Samuella Yembeh Koroma. Participants discussed the importance of collaboration across the sectors in achieving success with programs like SLEIC; the sustainabilityof the program, and their excitement to see such policy leadership and vision in Sierra Leone, which is paving the way for innovative approaches to improving education worldwide.
It has been a pleasure for the EOF to work with a government that is so invested in improving education and with many inspiring partners who support the country’s learning achievements.
Dr. Sengeh officially launched the program with a speech emphasizing how initiatives like SLEIC are crucial to his vision of improving education for everyone in Sierra Leone.
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