Facts and figures on schools, teachers and pupils in Sierra Leone The following information is taken from the School Census 2019. The census report was still in draft at time of writing (March 2020) therefore the figures may be subject to change. However, they provide a good overall picture of the entire sector (private and public), with more than 11,000 schools, 83,000 teachers, and 2.6 million school children. The Teaching Service Commission is responsible for teachers in approved (government or government assisted schools) who are on the government payroll. In 2019, there were 46,436 teachers registered by the TSC. Teachers in unapproved schools may be registered with TSC if they hold relevant teacher qualifications. All teachers and schools in both the private and public sector must adhere to general rules. Total Schools in Sierra Leone Community Government Mission Other Private Total Pre-primary 256 151 721 5 625 1,758 Primary 881 1,163 4,412 7 691 7,154 J. Secondary 347 166 784 3 333 1,633 S. Secondary 95 61 305 1 161 623 Total 1,579 1,541 6,222 16 1,810 11,168 The Government owns little more than 16% of schools in Sierra Leone. The majority of schools are mission schools, and there are large numbers of community and private schools. Approximately 60% of schools are approved, meaning they are government or government assisted schools – either financially or in other ways . Not all teachers in approved schools are on the government payroll. For a school to be approved, it must meet certain criteria in terms of the number of qualified teachers, facilities, etc. While the approval of schools is a ministerial responsibility, the teaching service must ensure the majority of teachers are qualified to deliver teaching of a high professional standard through its recruitment and deployment practices, school leadership and through provision of professional development.  Total Approved and Unapproved Schools Approved Unapproved Pre-primary 728 1,030 Primary 4,707 2,447 J. Secondary 1,125 508 S. Secondary 440 183 Total 7,000 4,168 Total Female and Male Teachers in Sierra Leone Female Male Total Pre-primary 4,878 688 5,566 Primary 14,284 33,454 47,738 J. Secondary 3,155 16,733 19,888 S. Secondary 817 9,024 9,841 Total 23,134 59,899 83,033 NB: the figures above refer to teachers across all schools, including government, community, Mission and private. There are disproportionate numbers of female and male teachers, with far more male teachers at all levels except pre-primary. The discrepancy increases at each higher level in the school system and peaks in senior secondary schools with approximately 11 times more male than female teachers. It is an important task of HR to redress the imbalance. Teachers by Qualification Bachelor in Ed Masters, PhD + ED HTC (Secondary) HTC (Primary) TC Un-qualified Total Pre-primary 51 9 123 485 2,206 2,692 5,566 Primary 454 39 1,350 5,666 22,875 17,354 47,738 J. Secondary 2,615 239 8,679 954 1,841 5,560 19,888 S. Secondary 3,666 304 3,029 166 223 2,453 9,841 Total 6,786 591 13,181 7,271 27,145 28,059 83,033 NB: the figures above refer to teachers across all schools, including government, community, Mission and private. Nearly a third of all teachers are un-qualified and should either be replaced or become qualified over the next couple of years. Teachers in secondary schools are generally well qualified with many degree holders but there are still considerable numbers of unqualified teachers at this level. In primary schools nearly 2 out of every 3 teachers are unqualified. NB: Some teachers who are considered to be unqualified may be partially educated in teaching, have valuable teaching experience, or have an education that does not directly qualify them for teaching, but is useful. Girls and Boys School Enrolment Girls Boys Total Total pupils in approved schools Pre-primary 66,752 60,416 127,168 59,534 Primary 896,191 874,177 1,770,368 1,372,356 J. Secondary 226,159 225,526 451,685 386,027 S. Secondary 147,696 157,389 305,085 273,164 Total 1,336,798 1,317,508 2,654,306 2,091,081 NB: the figures above refer to pupils across all schools, including government, community, Mission and private. School children make up a considerable proportion of Sierra Leone’s population and is expected to increase in the foreseeable future. The Government’s policy of free, compulsory education has created a growing demand for qualified teachers. Forecasting future demand of teachers is an important role of HR and impacts on the planning, capacity and resources of Teacher Training Colleges (TTCs). The gender balance among pupils is improving, with more girls than boys attending primary school, and almost equal numbers in junior secondary school. The discrepancy in senior secondary school is small, with around 10,000 more boys than girls. This trend is likely to affect tertiary education in the near future, including the output of qualified teacher candidates from TTCs. It is important to promote the teaching profession to women. This manual focusses on Government and Government-assisted schools, and teachers who are approved, registered in the teacher records database and on the government payroll.