IFD & Partners Hold Research Dissemination …To Address Violence & Inclusion In Schools
By Fatmata BJ Samura
The Institute for Development (IFD) in Partnership with UK International Development and “Leh Wi Lan” has on Tuesday March 26th held a Research Dissemination, addressing violence and encouraging inclusion in schools at the New Brookfields Hotel.
Speaking at the event, the Chairperson, Madam Rebecca Freeman an Advocate for Children with Disabilities said everyone has a responsibility to fight against violence in schools. She emphasized the importance of addressing violence and encouraged inclusion at all levels in school. She urged students not to engage in violence activities adding that violence activities sometimes lead to poor performance among students in schools.
The Director of Research, Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education (MBSSE), Mr Emmanuel J. Marrah said his Ministry is part of the research and that they have played significant role in radical inclusion program in schools. He pleaded with students to discourage all forms of violence in schools and embrace peace. He disclosed that the Ministry has a policy called Comprehensive Safety for Schools, and they also have the radical Inclusion that caters for all forms of vulnerable people in schools.
He continued that they came to the event to know what the researchers have leant, and that they will take the report to the Ministry in order to inform the appropriate authorities.
The Researcher and Curriculum Development Officer from “Leh Wi Lan”, John Mark, said “Leh Wi Lan” is one of the principal bodies of the program, and that they are prepared to educate students on the dangers of violence in schools. He expressed thanks and appreciation to IFD for organizing such a program. He said he was part of the research in the aspect of disseminating the findings of the research.
He stated that Sierra Leone is a country that writes lots of policies, but fail to implement them. ‘’If you go to ministries you see lots of policy reports that have been put on shelves but they are not implemented,’’ he said. You collect data to inform decisions and make reports for people to change perception of people, but here in Sierra Leone we do all the good work but we don’t implement them, he mentioned.
The key stakeholders Clare Castillejo lead Researcher, Richard Pambu and Henrietta Koroma made presentations on their findings on gender-based violence during their research. Richard Pambu explained the study on Inclusion, perceptions of violence and SRH education.
The research aimed at generating evidence on problems of violence in school and developing recommendations regarding delivery of SRH education. Clare Castillejo the lead researcher made her presentation on violence propagated by teachers of which corporal punishment remains widespread and accepted, but with evidence of shifting behaviours and attitudes.
According to Castillejo, violence against marginalised students, such as students with disabilities faced high levels of bullying by peers, mostly verbal but sometimes physical reflection. Students who are pregnant face verbal bullying by peers and teachers. He continued that the poorest students are subjected to verbal bullying by peers and teachers.
Henrietta Koroma talked on violence among students using school buses, saying that some school boys harass girls in school buses and if a boy harasses a girl in a bus and the girl reports him, they have sharp objects that they use to frighten the girls.
