The Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education (MBSSE), led by Minister Conrad Sackey, has launched the National Learning Assessment Report for Primary 0 (P0) and Primary 2 (P2), aimed at strengthening foundational literacy and numeracy among pupils across Sierra Leone.
The report was launched at Sapphire Court in Freetown in collaboration with the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) and UNICEF. It provides an assessment of foundational learning levels among pupils in the early grades and is intended to guide education policies and interventions.
Addressing stakeholders, development partners and educators at the launch, Minister Sackey stressed the need to address early learning gaps, warning that difficulties in reading during the early years of schooling can affect pupils’ academic progress in subsequent grades.
“A child who cannot read by the end of the early grades carries that gap through every year of school. Sierra Leone will no longer accept that outcome,” Sackey said.
He explained that the assessment’s baseline findings should serve as a call for urgent action to improve teaching and learning rather than be viewed as a reflection of pupils’ potential.
To address the findings, the Ministry outlined five key policy commitments: expanding structured pedagogy to ensure teachers use clear and proven teaching methods; protecting instructional time to improve classroom learning; advancing mother-tongue instruction to help children learn in languages they understand; using assessment data and evidence to guide education policy; and strengthening accountability for results across the education system.
The Ministry said these commitments are intended to translate the assessment findings into practical improvements in classroom instruction and learning outcomes.
In his closing remarks, Sackey thanked GPE, UNICEF, the assessors and frontline teachers for their contributions to the assessment. He urged stakeholders across the education sector to work together to implement the report’s recommendations and ensure that every child in Sierra Leone develops strong foundational literacy and numeracy skills.