By Bobor Dan Kamara
The Public Relation officer of the Sierra Leone Teaching Service Commission, Jane Sannoh, said they have completed in-service training for ten thousand teachers across early primary school levels.
She stated that the teachers were drawn from government schools, government-assisted schools, and community schools.
“In 2023, a survey was done on reading and numeracy skills for children in primary 1-3, and the results were appalling. We noticed that most children can memorize a passage and read rather than identifying words and sentences, ” she said.
To solve the problem, Miss Sannoh revealed that 300 facilitators were trained as master trainers to effectively teach teachers on the methodology so as to improve the numeracy and literacy skills of the children for a purposeful transitioning process. She noted that one of the modules titled “In the classroom” is geared towards using teaching aid to develop the cognitive orientation of the children by using practical examples or objects within the environment to aid learning.
When asked about the sustainability of the courses for teachers, she said they have been conducting such training at district and regional levels, but that this is the first time they have done it countrywide. “We will continue to conduct training and workshop for teachers in an effort to equip them with the necessary skills and materials needed to build a solid foundation for the children,” she concluded.
