Sierra Leone has demonstrated how investments in data, and political commitments to use that data to improve education can pay off.
Access to education in Sierra Leone has long been extremely limited. Limited alignment on data systems and processes meant that data was scattered across many agencies and institutions without a central analysis hub. In 2019 the data system was basic and critical education data was difficult to compile. The average adult has only 3.5 years of education. Literacy rates are below 50%.
Investment in data has transformed the understanding of what keeps children out of school, driving data-led policies to support teachers, schools and students, and building a more inclusive education system. The drive for using data to improve education in the country through the centre of excellence for learning and teaching innovation which aims to develop, test, and evaluate evidence-based learning and teaching methods in collaboration with students, educators, parents, and policymakers, with best practices scaled up across Sierra Leone’s public education system.