UNGEI Gender Review of Sierra Leone Country Plan
As Assessed and Endorsed by In-Country Donors
Low Institutional Capacity to Carry Out Gender-Sensitive Monitoring and Evaluation: Efforts to effect change rest heavily on the ability to monitor and evaluate what is taking place. Although the MOE is aware of the low institutional and individual capacity in this area,it is of concern that capacity is not stronger. Although the plans include training for all those who will be engaged in this activity, including local authorities, care needs to be taken so that everyone is aware of how to collect and analyze data that properly assess program impact on girls. The ways in which students are discriminated against – in the classroom in particular – can be very subtle. Unless monitors are well informed about these patterns of discrimination, negative educational experiences can be ignored or even reinforced.
Private / Public Partnership: Although the private sector was consulted during the planning for this, the private/public partnership appears to be quite weak. Engaging the business community and other private groups more actively in the provision of education resources, getting their feedback on priority needs for the workforce, expertise, etc., has proven highly valuable in other countries. The private/public partnership has been particularly valuable in advancing the education of girls in other countries and the MOE should make every effort to leverage this as much as possible.
Shift to Local Management and Oversight: Efforts to both decentralize and devolve authority and decision-making to the local authorities at the district and community level are important, and a concerted effort is needed to ensure that women are well represented in decision-making bodies and their voices are effectively heard. The absence of plans to sensitize decision makers (particularly the Chiefs who play an important role in educational decision making) about barriers and constraints affecting girls and their education is potentially problematic.
In addition, local councils play an extremely important role in nearly all aspects of decision-making that affect the quality of education (recruitment and payment of teachers, provision of textbooks and teaching materials, and the rehabilitation and construction of schools). Efforts are needed to ensure councils are able to make informed decisions that take into consideration all the factors that affect the access, retention and participation of girls.
Experience in other countries has demonstrated that women are often excluded from community-level committees (e.g.PTAs or SMCs) due to language, culture, literacy level, timing of meetings, etc. Efforts need to be made to ensure that all women representatives are able to fully participate.
Meeting the Demand for Qualified Teachers: Particularly worrisome is the limit placed on the MOE by the IMF in regard to teacher salaries. Although spending in this area may need to be curbed, as enrollments increase, the need for more teachers will remain critical. Additionally, teachers do not receive a living wage, and it will be a continual battle to keep well-qualified and competent staff if appropriate salaries and incentives are not given. Women teachers are the most compromised by the limited wages because of the additional responsibilities they have for domestic and child care obligations. Positive discrimination recruitment policies in other sectors may attract talented, well-educated and bright women away from teaching. It is imperative that good women teachers remain in the profession.
High Demands on Households to Contribute to Schooling Costs: When parents must pay high costs to educate their children, research shows that girls are more disadvantaged than boys in being allowed to complete their education. Currently, households carry a considerable burden in terms of funding education. Whether this is through indirect costs to schooling, taxes, or other, the amount needs to be reduced to ensure that girls’ education is not sacrificed. The greater the costs to the household the more likely it is that opportunity costs for girls will factor into parents’ decision-making. It is critical that parents arenot forced by household economics to keep their daughters out of school.
Conclusion: The government is to be commended for the ambitious program they have outlined, providing itwith all the external support possible to achieve their established goals. Additionally, the government and MOE should be commended for the exceptional effort undertaken to engage in this exercise, which is clearly reflected in this comprehensive document.
UN Girls’ Education Initiative
New York, April 2007
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