MBSSE Chief Education Officer Launches Disability-Inclusive Focal Points Programme

MBSSE Chief Education Officer Edward Kpaka officially launched the District Disability-Inclusive Focal Points (DDIFPs) Programme during a two-day Freetown workshop organised by Sightsavers and development partners.

The initiative forms part of Project 57029 implementation, titled Strengthening District Systems for Disability-Inclusive Education Sierra Leone. The project aims to strengthen coordination, monitoring, accountability, and institutional capacity, promoting inclusive education across all sixteen districts.

The programme seeks to establish District Disability-Inclusive Focal Points, improve education stakeholder coordination, and ensure children with disabilities and diverse learning needs enjoy equal opportunities to access quality education.

The first day brought together government representatives, development partners, organisations for persons with disabilities, sector actors, and district representatives. Participants engaged in discussions, building shared DDIFP model understanding, strengthening stakeholder ownership, and preparing for effective programme implementation.

Speaking launch, Kpaka described initiative renewed commitment ensuring no child denied education access because disability, learning difficulties, physical barriers or weaknesses systems designed supporting them.

He highlighted Government Sierra Leone cof ommitment inclusive educto ation through Radical Inclusthe ion Policy, Special Educatthe ional Needs Disability Poland icy Framework and other ong,oing education sector reforms.

According Kpaka, programme expected strengthening school-level planning accountability, improving teacher capacity responding diverse learning needs and enhancing early identification, referral follow-up children requiring additional educational support.

He further emphasised that inclusive education requires collective commitment, consistency, accountability, and coordination among government institutions, development partners, educators, communities, and other relevant stakeholders.

CEO stressed importance ensuring every child, regardless disability or personal circumstances, has opportunity accessing quality education environment supporting learning, participation development.

District Disability-Inclusive Focal Points are expected to provide a stronger district-level coordination mechanism, helping education stakeholders identify learning barriers and improve support available to children with disabilities.

Launch represents another step strengthening Sierra Leone inclusive education system and advancing principle every child deserves equal opportunity learning, participating succeeding.

Through continued collaboration government, development partners disability organisations, programme seeks contributing more accessible, responsive inclusive education system nationwide.