Independent appraisal of Sierra Leone’s Education Sector Plan 2022-2026

Detailed description of project Back

Sierra Leone’s Education Sector Plan (ESP) 2018-2020 is in the final year of implementation after an extension to 2021 due in part to the COVID-19 related disruptions, including school closures, travel restrictions and limitations on group gatherings.

After successfully securing funding under the Education Sector Development Grant (ESPDG) from the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) to develop the next ESP, the two Ministries of Education (Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education (MBSSE) and Ministry of Technical and Higher Education (MTHE)), together with the Teaching Service Commission (TSC), Tertiary Education Commission (TEC) and National Council for Technical, Vocational and other Academic Awards (NCTVA), and partners, are working in close collaboration with key education stakeholders to develop a new ESP for the period 2022-2026.

The objective of the consultancy is to conduct a technical and financial appraisal of the ESP, in accordance with GPE guidelines. To this end, the specific objectives are to:

• Conduct a comprehensive review of the draft ESP, analysing its strengths and areas for improvement, as well as the ownership of the plan and the participatory process of plan development;
• Provide evidence on readiness for endorsement, based on the extent to which the plan responds to the quality standards for credible ESP; Provide actionable recommendations regarding suggested improvements for areas that can be addressed prior to the finalization and endorsement of Education Strategic Plan and the areas that can be addressed during the plan implementation or subsequent reviews.

Type of services provided

• Review of various aspects of the ESP design, development objective(s) and results framework;
• Assess the technical quality of the plan, including specific strategies for addressing efficiency, equity and quality issues, rural access and for meeting the needs of vulnerable children;
• Review the ESP’s alignment to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 4 and the national SDG Roadmap;
• Identify if capacity constraints are being addressed to facilitate plan implementation;
• Validate the cost and financing for implementation of the ESP;
• Identify key steps for completing the ESP and for initiating implementation readiness by March 2022, along with necessary staffing and technical assistance required from the MBSSE, MTHE and development partners to facilitate the approval process.

Main staff provided:

• Team leader (30 w/d).