With the reintroduction of civics in Primary and Junior Secondary Schools in Sierra Leone through a proclamation by His Excellency President Julius Maada Bio in 2018, the National Council for Civic Education and Democracy has conducted a validation workshop on the teaching of civics in schools since its inception.
The Chairman of the National Council for Civic Education and Democracy (NaCCED) in his statement said Civic Education was reintroduced for the purpose of recalling Sierra Leone’s history and also serve as a means to identify not only our birth but also have genuine love for our country.
Mr. Bindi emphasized that civic education seeks to leave no one out and that every child should be civic minded so therefore the involvement of government and government assisted schools is key.
He pointed out that the validation exercise of this assessment seeks to improve civic education in schools and also mark the education week in recognition to NaCCED’s contribution in Civic Education.
The erstwhile Chairman of NaCCED, Kalilu Ibrahim Totangi said that the process of curriculum development for civic education is one of the hallmarks of the institution adding that working with the Teaching Service Commission on the teaching and learning of civics has been a rigorous process.
The research which was conducted by a consultant at Institute of Governance Reforms (IGR) is the first ever validation since the reintroduction of Civics in school and it aims to evaluate the impact of Civic as a subject and to map the way forward and re-strategize the improvements needed.
Executive Director Institute of Governance Reform who also doubles as the Consultant of the research, Andrew Lavali said the work of building good citizens who respect democratic values should be the fundamentals of a peaceful and tolerant society. He highlighted that the move by president Bio to reintroduce civic education is timely and in place.
Mr. Lavali disclosed that Diverse Sampling methodologies were used in the research with a sample size of three hundred (300) schools of out of which two hundred and ten (210) were Primary schools and ninety (90) Junior Secondary Schools through Urban, Rural and Regional representatives.
As partner in Education, the Sierra Leone Teachers Union represented by the Regional Secretary West, Foday Kuyateh said that teachers are key in the teaching of Civic Education. He however called on NaCCED and partners to provide adequate funds for the training of teachers in Civic Education.
Discipline and Petitions manager at the Teaching Service Commission (TSC) Patrick Sandy applauded the collaboration between NaCCED and T.S.C over the years and pledged commitment in making better strides so that the recommendations of the report will be achievable for improvement of civic education not only as a subject in schools but can be seen in the attitude and behaviors of citizens.
Pupils from different primary and Junior Secondary Schools were part of the validation workshop and made relevant contribution toward the advancement of Civics in schools.
