Ensuring quality education in Sierra Leone: the role of civil society organizations

In Sierra Leone, expanding access to educational opportunities for as many people as possible is essential for the country’s future, given the lack of infrastructure and limited resources that hinder school attendance and the quality of teaching.

To address this situation, AVSI, in collaboration with the Institute for Governance Reform (IGR), is implementing the project “Promoting Equity and Access to Quality Education: a Citizen's Engagement with Sierra Leone's Free Quality School Education Programme” (2023–2025), funded by the European Union. The project aims to strengthen the capacities of selected civil society organizations (CSOs) and to support and monitor the implementation of national education policies in 200 schools across five districts (Falaba, Karene, Moyamba, Tonkolili, and Western Area Rural).

Through training and direct support to CSOs, the project fosters dialogue with institutions, contributing to the implementation of the government’s strategic education plan, which seeks to improve access to and the quality of educational services in the country. Initiatives include the introduction of school management tools, teacher monitoring systems, and community involvement in overseeing education quality.

The CSOs involved focus on monitoring and evaluating the effectiveness of education policies, with an emphasis on transparency and quality in the school system. Community-based organizations work more directly with schools and families, promoting school attendance and supporting the daily management of educational facilities.

The initiative is carried out in close collaboration with the Sierra Leone Ministry of Education, focusing on the country’s most vulnerable areas, where access to education remains limited.

Thanks to the collaboration between local organizations, schools, and communities, the project is having a tangible impact: schools involved are seeing increased attendance, improved teacher monitoring, and greater community participation in education management. These results represent an important step toward building a more inclusive and effective education system in Sierra Leone.