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My experiences working in Sierra Leone for The Lottie Betts–Priddy Education Trust
17/02/2010
I found the experience of teaching and doing research for the charity rewarding and challenging in equal measure. The two schools I worked in – Thomas Peters Municipal School and Regent's School – are in a terrible condition, but the children are keen to learn.
Thomas Peters – where I worked first – is set in the heart of Freetown, 100 meters from the iconic cotton tree that is the symbol of Sierra Leone. The dreadful physical condition of the school makes it an eyesore in what is a busy commercial area.
There are no partitions in the school, meaning all the year groups are taught in the same room, apart from Class Six. The noisy and dusty environment makes it impossible to teach the children effectively. The ceilings are full of holes, the lighting is poor and the blackboards are pockmarked so they cannot be written on properly. The chalk is of bad quality and causes mini dust storms in the classroom.
Some of the teachers have not been paid for years; they subsidise their incomes by collecting coins from the children, but it was unclear whether this was for private tuition or general teaching. The Year Six teacher, Mr Kanu, stayed for two hours after school with the children most days, and also worked on weekends. He was the best teacher I met in Sierra Leone and was incredibly dedicated and experienced.
The children are quite cheeky but many of them are anxious to learn. Year Six was divided into three rows; two thirds of the children wanted to learn, the final third (all girls) appeared older and spent most of the time chatting amongst themselves. Discipline was enforced by flogging.
Regent's School is situated in the hills overlooking Freetown next to a small village. It is difficult to get to. It took me two taxis every morning to get anywhere near it. The final part of my journey was a treacherous walk up a path made of loose stones.
It was much bigger than Thomas Peters in terms of its physical size and the number of students. Its physical condition was as bad as Thomas Peters, and the problems were similar. It was noisy and dusty; also, the teachers seemed to be badly motivated. It was extremely overcrowded and the furniture kept falling apart and collapsing.
As there were more children per class, discipline was harder to enforce. One of the classes I taught in had 68 children. There were children at the back of the classroom who just chatted and messed about. They said "don't be afraid to flog us if we are being bad", but I did not use this technique. Instead, I made them come to the front and do sums on the board.
The teachers did not seem very well qualified. For example, I was asked to help a teacher who taught eight year olds. The teacher did not understand basic fractions. Most of the teaching staff spelled things wrong on the board, and sometimes taught the children the wrong meanings for words.
What the schools need most are partitions, furniture, and proper ceilings. Thomas Peters also needs a new playground because the one it has now is dangerous. It is littered with rusting corrugated iron, bricks and general rubbish; children are at risk of cutting themselves badly.
However, if the charity funds improvements to the schools, it will be essential for somebody to monitor upkeep and maintenance which is at present non-existent.
The teachers need to be paid their salaries because this would make them more motivated. This is really a problem the government needs to address, and without the timely payment of wages, it is unlikely things will ever get much better in the schools. Perhaps the option of making the schools semi-independent (with the teachers' salaries perhaps being paid by LBPET) should be explored.
Regent's has been receiving some help from Toyota for several years. For example, the school has been given a new computer by the firm. LBPET needs to ensure that funding is not duplicated and should monitor closely the distribution of any financial or other assistance.
My time in Sierra Leone was a huge learning experience and I believe I contributed something to the schools. I taught maths and science, and hope I opened up new ideas and teaching methods to the children. For example, I gave them a prize for doing well rather than beating them if they did badly.
The LPBET could do a lot for education in Sierra Leone, and its help is badly needed in the two schools. However, any assistance must be monitored thoroughly and any contributions should be aimed at making the schools self-sufficient in the future. LPBET should not be the hand that feeds you; it should be the hand that pulls you back up onto your feet.
Johnny Sow
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