Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education NATIONAL CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK & GUIDELINES FOR BASIC EDUCATION
Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education (MBSSE)
Published on: Jul 07, 2020 License: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC-BY 4.0) Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education NATIONAL CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK & GUIDELINES FOR BASIC EDUCATION
PREFACE
The New Direction Government of His Excellency President Julius Maada Bio launched a bold new Free Quality School Education (FQSE) policy in 2018 that is transforming Education in Sierra Leone. Within the FQSE policy, tuition fees from pre-primary to senior secondary, including examination fees, are covered by the Government; core learning materials are provided to all children; and school feeding is expanded across the country. More teachers are trained and incentives to strengthen the workforce are broadened.
A critical element to the FQSE policy, however, is curriculum development. The skills and attributes of learners to prepare them for post-secondary school life in the 21st Century need to be delivered in innovative ways. An excellent curriculum enables learners to acquire knowledge, skills, attitudes, and values for development of individuals, communities, and the nation, through inclusive growth and patriotic contributions to an equitable and progressive society. In its relatively young history, Sierra Leone has made commendable development strides despite socio-political challenges including an 11- year civil war and the 2014 Ebola epidemic. However, economic growth has been mixed and investments have not adequately or quickly expanded and diversified. Such economic constraints make it difficult for the social sectors to deliver quality services fairly and consistently to communities.
To break this impasse, the Government of Sierra Leone (GoSL) has prioritized its investments in human capital development, focusing on three important sectors: food security, education, and healthcare. Education in particular can deliver on the human capacity required to produce a more competent workforce, enhance productivity, and facilitate national development. Such a breakthrough needs an innovative curriculum that is successfully interpreted and implemented by a competent teacher workforce operating within a quality-oriented education system. All this starts with a well- designed curriculum framework.
On behalf of GoSL and the Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education (MBSSE), I am pleased to commend this National Curriculum Framework and Guidelines for Basic Education in Sierra Leone to stakeholders and partners, as an insight into our education transformation efforts. It is a reference document to inspire and guide those responsible for designing, implementing, and managing a new basic education curriculum for Sierra Leone. It anchors an innovative curriculum that will guarantee nine years of quality basic education for all as enshrined in the 2004 Education Act. We expect that this framework and its resulting new curriculum will contribute to national goals such as: