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Freetown, April 9, 2020: The Ministry of Basic and Senior School Education (MBSSE) and the Teaching Service Commission have launched a radio teaching programme for children and adolescents covering the core curriculum subjects for primary to senior secondary level education.

Through a partnership with the Ministry of Basic and Senior School Education (MBSSE), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) is providing technical support to the Life Skills programme using content from the Government approved National Lifeskills manual, developed with funding from Irish Aid in 2016. The life skills manual covers key topics for in and out-of-school adolescents such as sexual reproductive health and rights, gender equality, child marriage, goals setting and leadership.

The radio teaching programme by the ministry with technical support from UNFPA is in direct response to the COVID-19 outbreak which led to the closure of schools. 

Dr. Kim Eva Dickson, UNFPA Country Representative said, “Although the coronavirus pandemic has affected the school calendar in the country, this should not be an end to children’s right to education, life skills is an integral part of school education,” emphasising UNFPA’s direct support to the radio learning programme.

On Saturday,  4 April, UNFPA Sierra Leone supported the new presenters of the programme, Amara Sumaila, from the Non formal Education Directorate of the Ministry of Basic and Senior School Education (MBSSE) and Mrs Sarah James, teacher at Juba Baraks Junior Secondary School in Freetown, to record the first two episodes of the life skills programme before the three-day lockdown announced by the Government. 

The life skills components of the radio programme are being aired every Monday to Friday from 7:30-8:00pm on 95.3FM and other regional radio frequencies.

The radio teaching programme was first started in 2014 during the Ebola Virus Disease outbreak with more than a million children being unable to attend school at the time.

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About the United Nations Population Fund

UNFPA is the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency. Our mission is to deliver a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe and every young person's potential is fulfilled.

 

For more information, please contact:

Angelique Reid, UNFPA Sierra Leone, Communication Specialist

Email: areid@unfpa.org

 

John Baimba Sesay, UNFPA Sierra Leone, Web and Media Analyst

Email: jsesay@unfpa.org Tel: +232 30953193/ +23279369395