A survey report by a local non-governmental organization, Every Child Matters-Sierra Leone, has revealed that textbooks supplied to schools are inadequate.

The report, which was validated by education stakeholders at a validation meeting at the British Council in Freetown on Wednesday 17th July, gives a clear picture of text books supplied to schools in seven districts where data was collected. The finding reveals that textbooks supplied to schools should be up-scaled in all the sampled districts, so that more children could get access to reading materials as a conduit for quality learning.

The report is an analysis of data collected in seven districts on five core rights on promoting Rights in Schools Initiative project, supported by Actionaid International Sierra Leone.

The validation exercise is the final stage of the project, which is a collaborative approach between Actionaid and the Right to Education project, which aims to secure free, compulsory quality public education for all. The first stage was a training aimed at building the capacity of head teachers in selected schools on the concept of promoting Rights in Schools Initiative, which was completed in February of this year.

Speaking at the validation meeting, the Executive Director Every Child Matters, Abdul KarimKoroma, said that his organization was actively involved in engaging other organizations on issues of education. The validation report, he said, revealed that a huge amount of untrained and unqualified teachers were found in a number of schools.

Chairperson for the occasion, Henry H.B. Fyfe, Education Officer at the Freetown City Council, said most children were suffering as a result of lack of furniture, noting that children have the right to be comfortable in school. He said: "We should try to work together to provide the basic necessities for the children. The children should also be taught by qualified teachers." He added that there was need for head teachers to ensure proper learning in the schools.

Mr. Fyfe said stakeholders, including parents, should be concerned that children should be controlled and given the necessary support the need, while admonishing parents to adequately cater for the needs of the children.

Education Coordinator, Actionaid International Sierra Leone, Cecilia Sannoh, said promoting rights engendered UNICEF's standard of education. This, she said, aims at engaging all stakeholders in promoting education, as well as transparency in school.

She said it was useful to collect data for a change in the education sector, and added that the report - which was being validated by input of stakeholders - would be very much relevant.

An official from the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, Abdul Koroma, said the ministry was very much concerned about the rights of children in school. He said the ministry was in support of comfortable seating accommodation for, and the distribution of learning materials to school children.