Fast Track to Completion – the Complementary Rapid Education for Primary Schools (CREPS) and the Distance Education Program (DEP) in Sierra Leone

Background

The Complementary Rapid Education Programme in Schools (CREPS) was introduced in different districts in Sierra Leone in 2000 by UNICEF and the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (MEST). In 2002 NRC became the implementing partner of CREPS in three districts in the northern and eastern regions: Kambia, Kono and Kailahun. The programme is phasing out in December 2005. The target groups are overage children (10-14) who have missed out of school or who had their schooling interrupted by the war. CREPS allows the children to finish primary school in three years in stead of six, covering class 1-2 (level I in CREPS), class 2-4 (level II) and class 5-6 (level III). The majority of the CREPS teachers were untrained and unqualified.

CREPS is considered part of the regular school system and the connection between the two is tight. The teaching takes place in regular school in the afternoon or in a CREPS centre close to the regular school in the morning. Syllabus and manuals have been prepared by MEST/UNICEF to ensure that the contents and teaching are in harmony with the regular school. The CREPS model has the following components: No fees, 40 students per class, provision of education materials and some textbooks, provision of teacher manuals and syllabus, regular supervision and control of the CREPS centres/classes by well-qualified Teacher Supervisors, provision of incentives to teachers and supervisors, Community-Teacher Association (CTA) at each centre who is involved in the temporary school constructions and in the control of the centres and the pupils and supervision by Head Teachers from regular primary school. Most of the teachers are enrolled in a Distance Education programme run by Freetown Teacher College, which is free of charge, allowing them to obtain an officially recognized Teacher Certificate.

Purpose/objective

The main purpose of the evaluation is to provide an overall assessment of the efficiency, effectiveness, impact and relevance of the program. The evaluation will be a tool in the ongoing discussions in NRC regarding Accelerated Learning Programs (ALPs), and for improvements/adaptations in the CREPS program prior to possible implementation in other NRC program countries.

Methodology

Field work in Sierra Leone was carried out in May 2005 by one international (team leader) and one local evaluator. Two of the three locations ere visited. The team leader had prepared a detailed guide for the interviews and classroom observations before the fieldwork started based one the document analysis. Totally 10 CREPs centres were visited, observations were made in 20 classrooms, interviews were conducted with teachers, head teachers, supervisors, educational officials and the district and national level, NRC staff, CREPS students, former CREPS students, partners and community members.

Key findings

• The main and most of the specific objectives have been reached.
• Close and well-functioning collaboration between MEST-UNICEF and NRC at national as well as at district level. This is an example of "good practice".
• A successful combination of monthly in-service training involving micro-teaching, extensive supervision on the spot and the distance learning programme for teachers ensures continuous development of their competence and skills. This is another example of "good practice".
• The DEP programme has been very well received by the teachers as they continue teaching while they are qualifying to get a Teacher Certificate. The DEP fits into the other teacher training components. It is considered more cost-efficient than regular teacher training.
• Since 2003 NRC has developed databases on the pupils and their enrolment, attendance rates and test achievements. This is a third example of "good practice".
• The target groups of children have been reached.
• Referring to the CREPS pupils who passed the National Exams in 2004, their results are just as good as the regular students'. The former CREPS students are doing very well in secondary school and the drop out is low.
• Lack of connectedness between emergency and development programs
• Little sharing of lessons learned between NRC and other NGOs

Recommendations

As NRC is phasing out it is not possible to improve the programme further. The recommendations are therefore meant as advice to NRC and other organisations that are planning to start similar accelerated learning programmes in other countries.

It is essential to establish a close and formal co-operation with the government (Ministry of Education) from the beginning and a memorandum of understanding should be signed. Agreements with other leading agencies are also recommended to avoid competition and double work. It is recommended to make sure to have funding for the whole period of three years before a programme like CREPS is introduced. Starting on a small scale is another recommendation. It is easier to take control of the various components in the programme when it is small and manageable and to introduce changes as one gains experience. The target group of pupils must be in line with the organisation's mandate and in the right age group. It must be ensured that children who can enter regular school are not accepted. Different approaches must be addressed regarding how to increase the enrolment and retention of the girl student and how to improve her school performance
It is recommended to discuss whether an accelerated programme should set an upper limit with respect to age. The implementing organisation must pay attention to how the lessons learned in an accelerated programme can be continuously transferred to other organisations and partners. The continuation of the accelerated learning programme needs to be taken into consideration from the beginning.