The government of Sierra Leone, through the Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education (MBSSE), introduced the use of braille in external examinations in 2021. Since then, to date, there has been tremendous progress in terms of the performance of visually impaired pupils in public examinations.
The Principal of Milton Margai School for the Blind, Salieu Turay, said the use of braille in the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) and the West Africa Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (WASSCE), is a laudable achievement by the ministry and the government.
Turay said, "The greatest disadvantage in using the typewriter is that you sometimes even turn the carbon over because you cannot see, and you may not even know until you have typed two or more pages and later somebody comes to watch them and notices that nothing appeared."
He expressed, "This can be very frustrating, but the use of the slate and stylus, which the pupils are using now, is making them very comfortable and has yielded dividends," he confirmed.
For the first time in the Ministry’s record, they recorded 100 percent passes in the 2021 BECE examination, with every pupil who took the examination transitioning to Senior Secondary School, while two of the three students in the 2021 WASSCE examination got university requirements, one of whom is reading law at the University of Sierra Leone.
"Presently, we are having visually impaired kids taking the BECE. We are looking forward to another 100 percent pass rate because, when they are taking the examination in braille, they are comfortable and feel more relaxed. They can read their questions for themselves and write their answers in braille as well, "he confidently emphasized."
The principal cited his personal story from the year he took the BECE examination, pointing out that not all of them at that time got the senior secondary school requirement because they were using the typewriter.
The Principal of Milton Margai School for the Blind said, "We thanked the MBSSE, particularly the Minister Dr. David Moinina Sengeh, for not only introducing the Radical Inclusion Policy but also for implementing what the policy dictates."
"The Minister has manifested that he has a passion for not only children but children with special needs," he acknowledged.
The Minister of Basic and Senior Secondary Education, Dr. David Moinina Sengeh, said the ultimate goal of the Radical Inclusion Policy is to generate a critical mass of highly educated, trained, and skilled Sierra Leoneans with the capacity to fulfill their potential.
He said it also aims to contribute to the national and global economy and deliver better leadership and services in the public sector, noting that the Ministry is grateful for the opportunity to provide the first-ever policy on radical inclusion in education in Sierra Leone.
Credit:Augustine Sankoh
Strategic Communications Analyst (MBSSE)
Children with special needs taking an external examination with braille
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