FREETOWN, Sep. 13 (232News) – We, the undersigned, urge you to ensure that domestic financial resources from the National Budget allocated to education is used to support public provision of free, quality education that benefits all children in Sierra Leone, with deliberate effort to spend such allocations on public education rather than private education without discrimination of any kind, such as discrimination based on socio-economic disadvantage, caste, gender identity, race or disability.
On 13 February 2019, the Abidjan Principles on the human rights obligations of States to provide public education and to regulate private involvement in education were adopted in Abidjan, following a three-year extensive participatory consultation and drafting process. This involved hundreds of stakeholders, including States, parents and civil society, teachers, the private sector and high-level experts from various backgrounds, including human rights lawyers, education specialists and practitioners, and affected communities from various geographic regions
The UN Human Rights Council, the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights and various UN Treaty Bodies have recognised the obligation to progressively secure free, public – not commercialised – education in fulfilling the right to education.[i] These positions uphold the principle that education is a right, not a market commodity. Investing in free and inclusive public education of good quality is the best way to ensure fulfilment of SDG 4.
Studies find that the public funding of private schooling deepens inequalities in education while failing to consistently produce better learning outcomes.[ii] In particular, for-profit and commercial schools often rely on poorly qualified and poorly-paid teachers to save costs; have poor transparency and accountability, and side-step important education laws and regulations, undermining a country’s ability to ensure that its educational standards apply equally for all.[iii]
Realising that Donors have an important voice in how financial contributions to the World Bank Group are spent, during the International Development Association (IDA) IDA19 replenishment process, with funding from OXFAM USA, Community Action to Restore Lives (CARL from Sierra Leone) represented. By the Founder Madam Madiana Nyanda Boakae Samba) made an appeal at the 2019 World Bank Spring meeting in Washington for increased funding to Sierra Leone in favour of the President’s Free Quality Education Project. At different CSOs panels, CSOs called on all donors and the World Bank Group itself to take a clear and principled position in support of free, publicly provided education and against the use of development aid to fund for-profit or commercial education. An “Open Letter” signed by 173 CSO organisations was also presented to President David Malpass by Zakaria Sulemana of OXFAM Ghana (on behalf of the CSOs) the World Bank President to raise our voices on the above.
President Malpass in March 2020 actualised his commitment made to CSOs in October 2019 in Washington and in his letter to the Hon. Secretary of the Treasury of the World Bank Hon. Steven T. Mnuchin he emphasised the Bank’s position in ensuring transparency in PPPs and to assist all countries to release information, conduct due diligence, investigate corruption and ensure positive economic. Social reforms.
As a follow up to our respective countries, the Education Campaign Spike was launched in December 2020 and you Mr Minister signed up to our call that Education is a right and every child deserves an education that is free and of good quality. The fact that private education widens the inequality gap, we are calling for the regulation of private schools that further widens this gap due to the high fees charged making education a profitable business rather than a right for every child. Based on all our research findings “For Whose Benefit, CARL, 2020” we believe that with increased funding to the education sector, coupled with motivation for teachers, regulation of privatised education, robust monitoring and implementation of Education Policies, our Public Schools will be made better and thereby making room for a successful implementation of the Free Quality Education Policy of this Government.
We therefore call on the Minister of Basic Senior and Secondary Education (MBSSE) and the entire Ministry to include in the new Education Act clear pathways for the regulation of commercialised education that discriminates against poor and vulnerable children and does not respect Principle 2 of the Abidjan Principles.
We again call on the MBSSE to take all effective measures, including particularly the adoption and enforcement of effective regulatory measures, to ensure the realisation of the right to education where private actors are involved in the provision of education.
When you fund education with public aid money, make sure it supports free, quality public education!
- Community Action to Restore Lives (CARL)
- OXFAM Sierra Leone
- OXFAM Ghana
- OXFAM Liberia
- OXFAM -USA
- OXFAM International
- Education for All Sierra Leone Coalition (Over 50 CSOs including the Sierra Leone. Teachers Union National Council of Head Teachers, Conference of Principals of Secondary Schools etc.)
- Action Aid Sierra Leone
- Youth and Advocacy Network (YACAN)
- ANfEGG Kono Eastern Sierra Leone
- Dendebeh Federation- Koindagu Northern Sierra Leone
- HEAL Salone
- Sierra Greenfields
- Sierra Leone Spelling Bee
- Anti-Corruption Commission
- Network Aid
- Development Watch
- Teaching Service Commission
- SAC-SL
- Heritage Group of Companies
- Vital Services and General Supplies
- Girls Advocacy Network, Moyamba
- Gender Alliance Networks Waterloo
- Girls’ Ambassadors, Waterloo, Grafton Newton and Tombo
- Mothers’ Clubs, Waterloo, Grafton Newton and Tombo
- Congo Market Women’s Association
- Waterloo Market Women’s Association
- Tamaraneh Women’s Group Lungi
- Star Zee, Freetown
- Marie Vee, Bombali
- Shalom Rescue Foundation
- Action for Youth and Children’s Network
- Women’s Internal League for Peace and Freedom
- Conforti Community AID Children’s Organization
- Gender and Youth Network (GYNeT)
