64 Years and Counting: Minister Sackey Highlights Peace Corps’ Education Impact in Sierra Leone
Aminata Koroma Minister of Basic and Senior Secondary Education Conrad Sackey has highlighted the importance of the Peace Corps’ longstanding partnership with Sierra Leone, noting its contribution to the country’s education sector over the past 64 years.
Speaking on the partnership, Minister Sackey quoted a Krio saying, “One hand cannot tie a bundle,” noting that the experience of Peace Corps Sierra Leone since 1962 has demonstrated the importance of working together.
He said Peace Corps has walked alongside Sierra Leone through independence, conflict, the Ebola outbreak and the country’s recovery. He recalled that when Peace Corps volunteers were called home during the civil conflict, they later returned to Sierra Leone, and when Ebola threatened the country, they stood with Sierra Leone once again.
According to Minister Sackey, that consistency represents more than programme implementation, but reflects a shared commitment to the dignity and education of every child.
He noted that eight Peace Corps volunteers are currently teaching in Sierra Leonean classrooms. The volunteers teach English in elementary schools, as well as Mathematics and Science in junior and secondary schools.
Minister Sackey stressed that the volunteers are not in Sierra Leone to replace local teachers, but to work alongside them, describing the partnership as an opportunity for knowledge and skills to be shared across national boundaries.
He said the collaboration contributes to stronger teaching and learning, particularly in English, Mathematics and Science, while also helping pupils to see greater possibilities for their future.
The Minister outlined several areas of collaboration with Peace Corps and other partners, including the deployment of the newest cohort of volunteers to Port Loko and Kono Districts, where communities have been waiting for the programme’s support.
He also highlighted the pairing of Peace Corps volunteers with Sierra Leonean teachers to ensure that skills and knowledge remain in schools even after volunteers complete their assignments.
In addition, he said partner support is being directed towards areas where pupils need it most, particularly foundational literacy, numeracy and science.
Addressing the people of Port Loko and Kono, Minister Sackey assured them that their communities and children have not been forgotten, stressing that every child deserves access to quality education.
He described education as “the architecture of freedom,” saying it builds nations that are able to think independently, create and dream beyond the circumstances of their birth.
According to him, every Peace Corps volunteer who enters a Sierra Leonean classroom carries that vision, while every Sierra Leonean teacher who welcomes them also contributes to it.
Reiterating the Krio saying, “One hand cannot tie a bundle,” Minister Sackey said the partnership between teachers, nations and generations can help build an unbreakable promise that every child in Sierra Leone will inherit an education worthy of their potential.
“This is our work. This is our honour. And this is only the beginning,” he concluded.