THE NEW EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM

Pictured is Saffa Koroma, the Education Secretary and Associate Director of Operation Classroom

The new educational system developed by the government of Sierra Leone has brought about some changes in our schools. All schools must follow this new system. The new system is 6-3-3-4. The areas Indiana is related to are the 3-3 or the Junior and Senior Secondary classes. These would be the same as our junior and senior school. When the students finish Junior Secondary they are tested. If they do well on the test they can go into the academic stream or Senior Secondary. If they do not score well on the test they are channeled into a vocational stream. Some schools are identified as both Junior Secondary and vocational schools. Others are Senior Secondary schools only and some are both Junior and Senior Secondary schools.

Fergusson, Bo Centenary, and Makeni are designated as Junior Secondary Schools with a vocational program providing for those who will not be pursuing the academic stream. The government determined which schools would be Junior and/or Senior secondary schools.

Albert Academy and Baoma are both Junior and Secondary schools in the academic stream.

Koidu and Jaiama remain closed because of the continued rebel control of the area. . We do have a "displaced" school at Bo for the students of Koidu and Jaiama who are in the area.

The needs for OC at Fergusson, Bo, and Makeni will include:

One of the great needs we have in all our schools is furniture. For $10.00 you can provide a desk and chair for a student. They or the school will provide the other $2.00.

ALBERT ACADEMY

Albert Academy is making progress. Recently the Alumni association and the PTA have taken on new life and will be working with OC in a number of improvements. Much of this has happened since Mr. Albert Kawa became acting principal. ( Mr. Sellu is on leave with the GBGM in Kenya.)

We are cooperating with them in the installation of a new drain at the school. In 1995 during the rainy season, the drain became clogged and a rush of water came down the mountain causing the wall to give way. The water then surged the chapel and first floor carrying mud till the mud was about 30 inches deep. With the war going on, nothing was done. However, last fall the students, PTA, and some members of the alumni association cleaned the dirt out of the chapel, classrooms and the office. Now they are ready to do the needed repairs. They have hired a local who was scheduled to begin work last week. Operation Classroom released $4,000 for the project to get it started and the British alumni association has committed themselves to 5000 pounds (about $7,800). That will cover much of the cost. Their goal is to get this completed before the rainy season.

We are thankful that when the rebels sacked the school they did not steal the solar panels or the main system. They stole the batteries, the spare parts, and the wiring and light fixtures. The school is working on a bid to find out what it will cost to get the system working again. This is a necessity because of the lack of electrical power provided by the city. The solar also enables other youth in the community to study in the evenings.

With an enrollment of 2700 students Albert Academy is lacking furniture. 200 desks/chairs are needed at a cost of $12.00 per unit. If we can raise $10.00 per desk/chair, they will raise the other $2.00.

We also need hand tools, saws, planes, etc. In this way the school can do a better job of making their own furniture.

Books are also needed for the library and five sets of prescribed textbooks are needed for the teaching staff of each of the six classes. (Each set will cost around $125.)

We are encouraged by the progress renovation work being done at the school. There will be a workteam going there this summer to do painting and some minor repair work. There are still a few openings on the team, which will be led by Kay Hess.

OPERATION CLASSROOM is one of the main supporters of secondary education.  ADVANCE NUMBERS

UNITED METHODIST SCHOOLS RELATED TO THE INDIANA AREA OF THE UMC IN SIERRA LEONE:

• Jaiama Secondary School 010214-3 SY -- is located in the Kono area and is currently closed.

Albert Academy 009238-4 SY -- is located in Freetown and has over 2700 students. This school has been chosen to develop a major vocational program. Major repairs are being done to the main building.

Baoma Secondary School 010226-7 SY -- was closed for much of the war. However, classes met at the Bo campus. The school will be open in September, 1999.

Fergusson Memorial School 010215-4 SY --- is located in Moyamba. Formerly a boys' school,it has been operating on a coed basis for the past two years. (This is because the Harford School for girls, also in Moyamba, was forced to close and relocate in Freetown due to war damage and the instability of the region. Although also impacted by the war, Fergusson has been able to reopen, and has included in its student body some of the female students from Harford.) The Fergusson school is now a junior secondary and vocational school..

Bo Centenary Secondary School 010213-2 SY --- Bo Centenary has been fortunate in that it is one of the few schools to remain open and functioning during most of the war. It's facilities have also been used for a satellite school for Baoma. During the war the main building was burned down. The school is now a junior secondary and vocational school. . .

Koidu Secondary School 010225-6 SY --- is located in Kono and is currently closed.

Makeni Secondary School 011976-8 SY --- is located in Makeni. The rebels took much of the zinc off the room and took all the furniture. Plans are to get the roof fixed before the rainy season in 2000.