Freetown, 22nd September 2022 (SLENA) – Responding to a global crisis in education – a response in which equity, inclusion, quality and relevance are the prime reasons to have a collective effort with a common agenda to promote free and quality education worldwide, the United Nations Secretary-General convened the Transformation Education Summit to ensure high-level political engagement and to mobilize action.
Often slow and unseen, the crisis in education is having a devastating impact on the future of children and youths especially in developing countries.
Many countries are still grappling with numerous challenges in providing free and quality education for all.
Sierra Leone however has taken leadership by allocating huge resources to that sector. In four short years, a million more learners especially girls can now access free and quality education across Sierra Leone.
Learning outcomes are improving as are other indicators. But transforming the education system requires sustained focus for decades. The country intends to set measurable targets for skills training and technical education among many other reforms.
“Today I am pleased to announce a new level of ambition to make education an even stronger driver of gender equality, inclusion, and sustainable national development,” President Bio stated. The country has committed to cutting in half the number of out-of-school children of primary school age by 2030, compared to today.” He said.
President Julius Maada Bio made those statements while co-hosting with the UN Secretary General, António Guterres the High-Level Summit on Transforming Education at the United Nations General Assembly Hall.
The Summit aims to provide the unique opportunity to elevate education to the top of the global political agenda and to mobilize action, ambition, solidarity and solutions to recover pandemic-related learning losses and sow the seeds to transform education in a rapidly changing world.
