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The Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education (MBSSE) has on the 8th December 2023 completed presentation of the situation analysis on Early Childhood Development (ECD) at the MBSSE Conference Hall in Freetown.
It was reported that, the thrive on Early Childhood Development (ECD) has indicated that ECD covers many sectors and coordination across ministries has been challenging, noting that the ECD unit is a good step in the right direction, but more can be done to ensure cooperation and coordination across all levels.
The Chief Executive Officer of Institute for Development Madam Regina Mamidy Yillah said programming on ECD in Sierra Leone covers Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education (MBSSE), Ministry of Health and Sanitation (MoHS), Ministry of Tertiary and Higher Education (MTHE), Ministry of Social Welfare (MoSW), Ministry of Gender and Children Affairs (MoGCA and the Teaching Service Commission (TSC).
The situation analysis shows that comprehensive set of ECD policies (including IECD 2021), covering (nearly) all aspects of NCF but need concerned effort on implementation, adding that ECD still relatively new concept in Sierra Leone, noting that not all policies fully costed and with clear and time-bound implementation plan.
Madam Yillah calls for quality of new and existing services, noting that there should be monitoring and evaluation capability to ensure quality and identify best ways of working.
“There is shortage of trained ECD workers. There should be In-service training for upskilling existing ECD workers, and pre-service training crucial. Stakeholders should Identifying different training modalities which work for those with different levels of education, and at reasonable cost and time investments,” she said.
The Deputy Ministry (l) at the MBSSE Mrs. Emily Kadiatu Gogra commended thrive for coming onboard in the fight to spread ECD across Sierra Leone. She highlighted the challenges faced by ECD in Sierra Leone and reminded stakeholders that good early childhood development shapes the future for the next generation.
