Sierra Leone: While it congratulates countries such as Sierra Leone for effort made with regards financing education. Education For All Sierra Leone Coalition (EFSLC) on Wednesday 28th April 2021 called for increase state funding for education to 20% of public expenditure.
The call was informed by the global action week for education (26 to 30th April 2021). The theme for this year’s global campaign is “education financing- one billion voices for education.”
A press release from the Education for All Sierra Leone Coalition, noted that “Never has the Universal Human Right to Education been in such a danger. The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the education of more than one billion people across the world. It is also worsening the existing global education-financing crisis thereby impacting the progress of the entire Sustainable Development Agenda and specifically Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4).”
Education For All Sierra Leone Coalition, also reaffirmed that education is a universal human right and must be guaranteed to all people in all contexts, including sanitary emergencies, adding that COVID-19 has exacerbated the already exposed existing inequalities in many of our communities and countries, leaving the marginalized heavily exposed to the negative elements of the pandemic.
However, EFASL noted that governments around the world and the international community have the opportunity to start addressing these inequalities by ensuring that education is adequately financed.
Global Campaign For Education (GAWE) also noted that national budgeting for education requires four central obligations. These obligations are: Increasing the Share of budgets for education, Increasing the Size of budgets overall, increasing the Sensitivity of budgets in order to respond to the most marginalized and; Increasing the Scrutiny of budgets, so governments are accountable to people. GAWE therefore calls on states to do the following:
- Increase state funding for education to 20% of public expenditure. (Congratulating countries for the effort made in achieving like Sierra Leone).
- Increase their tax base in order to increase resources, working towards a minimum tax-to-GDP ratio of 20%.
- Enable urgent debt cancellation for the least developed countries; and Debt alleviation for middle and upper-middle-income countries.
- Ensure inclusive education systems through equitable financing and programs that prioritizes the most marginalized group particularly girls in Sierra Leone.
- Provide free quality education for all and end the trend towards the privatization and commercialization of education in Sierra Leone.
- Improve the quality of teaching through adequate recruitment, remuneration and continued teacher training in Sierra Leone.
- Listen and respond to the voices of those affected. Space must be allowed for individuals and civil society to speak up.
- Developed countries must continue to work towards the goal of 0.7% overseas aid, with 20% of this spent on education, and increasing their contributions to the Global Partnership for Education and Education Cannot Wait.
President Global Campaign for Education, Refat Sabbah, said, “Now, more than ever, we are reminded of the importance of our goal; a free and accessible education for all. This year’s the Global Action Week for Education is facing many challenges, but also important and crucial issues.”
National Coordinator, Education For All Sierra Leone Coalition, Joseph Archi Cobinah, said education should not only be funded by donor, but states across the world. He continued that some states such as Sierra Leone financed education and makes provision for the marginalized, but the finances he said are insufficient.
He applauded government for the increased budget allocation to education as well as the free quality education. He suggested that this budget should be sensitive to capture the marginalized groups.
Cobinah further called on government to carry out a study to ascertain whether the budget allocation is sufficient, adding that government should pay more attention to the school feeding program which he opined is at a snail pace and not every school is benefitting. He also called on government to establish WASH facilities in schools across the country as well as water supply, and improve on infrastructure.
Cobinah hoped for 35 to 40% budget allocation in the coming years, which according to him will address the challenges faced by the marginalized groups.
Head of Operations and Program, Education For All Sierra Leone Coalition Sierra Leone, Augustine N. Kambo, disclosed that the country currently has 62,000 teachers, noting that only 30,000 of those teachers are on government payroll. He called for more financing which he said is the reason why more teachers are yet to be placed on payroll.
SKS/29/04/2021