<
https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2022/nov/23/sierra-leones-president-defends-large-education-budget-as-necessary-risk>
"Sierra Leone’s president has defended his decision to spend almost a quarter
of the national budget on education, saying the country cannot develop unless
all children go to school.
Speaking to the
Guardian, Julius Maada Bio admitted that allocating 1.7tn
leones (£80m) this year for its ambitious educational reform programme was a
risk, but said: “We are throwing all our resources, all our energy into
education. We cannot develop without improving education. I see it as an
existential issue.
“I had to walk barefoot to school, with not even shoes on my feet. For me to
come to this level of leadership, I think education has played a very important
role.”
The Bio administration launched its “radical inclusion” programme in 2018,
aiming to get millions more children into school by offering free, quality
education to all youngsters, particularly those from poor and marginalised
groups.
The government allocated 22% of this year’s budget to education, which
represents one of the largest-percentage funding commitments in the world and
double the percentage allocation in 2016. Additional money is being sourced
from donors.
Girls’ education is a central component of the programme. More female teachers
are to be recruited and trained, while pregnant schoolgirls are being
encouraged to stay in class. Until 2020, pregnant schoolgirls were banned from
continuing their education."
Via
Future Crunch issue 193:
https://futurecrunch.com/
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
