By Kadijatu Bangura, Reporter D.S
The Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education, MBSSE, in partnership with UNICEF Sierra Leone and with funding from the Global Partnership for Education, GPE, has launched a nationwide campaign to end violence and strengthen safety in schools across Sierra Leone.
As part of the initiative, School Quality Assurance Officers from all 16 districts are undergoing intensive training to monitor and enforce safe, inclusive and gender-responsive learning environments.
The training is equipping officers with practical tools to strengthen school safety systems, promote positive discipline, and enforce child safeguarding standards, including the Prevention of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse, PSEA. It also builds their capacity to identify, prevent and respond to school-related gender-based violence, SRGBV.
Education stakeholders say the intervention is critical for protecting vulnerable learners, especially girls, children with disabilities and those at risk, to ensure they can learn in secure and supportive environments.
With concerns over school safety growing, officials stressed that violence-free schools are essential to improving learning outcomes and securing a better future for every child.
The programme signals renewed commitment by government and development partners to ensure schools serve not only as places of learning, but as safe havens for all students.
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