June 4, 2021
BY PROBLYN JOHN ALPHA
Participants of a day district debate on education privatization in Sierra Leone have preferred public education system to private education system in the country.
They further called on the government through the line ministries to galvanize more efforts in addressing the prevailing challenges affecting the quality standards of the public education system in the country.
The said district debate on education privatization in Sierra Leone was organized by Advocacy Network for Education and Good Governance Sierra Leone (ANFEGG – SL) at the Gbense Native Administrative Barray in Koidu City – Kono District, on the 27th May, 2021.
Dilating on the overriding justification of organizing the aforesaid debate, ANFEGG Sierra Leone Executive Director, Momoh Gbongor Bangura said, as private and public schools exist and operate side by side in the country, it is not a secret that, private education or schooling is more expensive than the public education.
Mr Bangura noted that in view of the above, many low income earning parents prefer public education for their children whiles high income earning parents send their children to private schools although expensive is based on the assumption that their children could acquire quality education.
It was based on such background that Mr. Bangura said his organization works in collaboration with the government of Sierra Leone with funds from OXFAM.
Although the participants preferred the public education due to its low cost, but Momoh Gbongor Bangura said, they did not recommend to the government to abolish the private education for the simple fact that there should be competition between the two systems which will in no doubt create room for comparison as to which one is more better than the other.
Mr added that, the two systems should be maintained, whiles the government needs to invest more in public education system so that, it could match up with the private and international education standards.
If the public education system has to be improved ANFEGG executive director, Momoh Gbongor Bangura re-echoed the suggestions of the participants that Government needs to improve on the welfare of teachers, increase the supply of teaching and learning materials in the communities within the country, provision of more infrastructures and furniture amongst others.
Mr. Bangura however said his organization has plans afoot to compile the various recommendations and concerns raised by the participants in report format and table it to the Central Government for amicable and immediate actions for the overall improvement of the public education system.
The aim is meant to achieving the new direction government`s human capital development agenda nationwide.