Sierra Leone education programme

The programme, which ended in 2026, aimed to make secondary schools more inclusive for everyone, especially girls and children with disabilities.

Watch the documentary, produced by our partners, to learn about the programme’s impact.

In Sierra Leone, children with disabilities are often kept at home and aren’t given the opportunity to get an education. Those who do attend school can struggle if they’re taught by teachers who aren’t trained to support students with disabilities.

The Secondary Education Improvement Programme, also known as ‘Leh Wi Lan’ (Let us learn) in the local language, Krio, worked at all levels of the education system to make secondary schools in the country more inclusive and accessible for all students.

Funded by UK International Development, the programme ran from 2023-2026. It worked closely with the government of Sierra Leone and the Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education. It is also collaborated with organisations of people with disabilities (OPDs), civil society organisations and communities to advocate for the rights of children with disabilities and hold the education system to account.

The programme aimed to equip school staff and education managers with the skills they need to provide inclusive education. It also improved data collection about students with disabilities, including school performance and progression, and improved screenings in schools for disability and assessment, referral and follow-ups to ensure all children get the support they need.

Student Sallay, who has a growth on her left hand, sits with two female friends around a desk. One of the girls is holding Sallay's right hand. They're all wearing school uniform. — Thanks to the programme, Sallay (middle) is no longer afraid her classmates will tease her about the growth on her left hand.

Key achievements

We established and trained a network of more than 800 inclusion champions to support teachers, identify learners with disabilities, and coordinate support systems in schools.
We supported the widespread adoption of school inclusion plans across more than 90% of participating schools, to drive whole-school inclusive reform and improve accountability.
We developed and introduced the Screening, Assessment, Referral and Follow-up (SARF) system, creating stronger links between education, health and social services.
We strengthened the role of organisations of people with disabilities (OPDs) as equal partners in learner identification, community engagement, advocacy and system accountability.
We designed a fully integrated national–district–school inclusion framework, aligning policy, implementation, monitoring, and referral pathways across the education system.
We developed the District Disability Inclusion Focal Point (DDIFP) model, strengthening local oversight, data collection and school support.

Sierra Leone’s Education Knowledge Platform

This resource for education professionals contains a range of information and resources, including policies, guides, templates and research, to support learners, including those with disabilities.

Visit the platform

What’s next?

The Secondary Education Improvement Programmme has laid the foundations for the next phase, which will focus on scaling and strengthening-inclusive education across Sierra Leone through a new Sightsavers-funded programme.

This programme will support the nationwide establishment of the DDIFP model as a sustainable, government-owned mechanism. Working closely with the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) unit, OPDs and other key stakeholders, it will aim to decentralise support and accountability, strengthen referral systems, improve disability-disaggregated data and provide guidance to schools.

By working within existing government systems, Sierra Leone will take a significant step towards a more responsive, accountable and sustainable inclusive education system.