Access to Primary Education in Sierra Leone: the perceived gap between policy and practice, and the role of religious affiliation and British aid

Abstract

This research paper is based on my PhD pilot study, in which I examined issues of access to primary education in Sierra Leone and its partnership with Britain. Prior to the fieldwork, I piloted a questionnaire with parents aiming to investigate the difficulties which underlie regular access to schooling in Sierra Leone. In the country, religious affiliation crucially informs patterns of education provision. I hypothesised that religion had a strong connection to how education was perceived and accessed in Sierra Leone. This short article presents the results of the pilot study and focuses on two issues: 1) parents’ perception of the role and influence of main stream religions in the country, Christianity and Islam, and 2) whether British aid is viewed as having played a significant role in alleviating the financial burdens and therefore widening access and participation in education.