By Faith Sierra Leone’s borders are the following: the Republic of Guinea is to the north, the Republic of Liberia to the south, and Sierra Leone to the west by the Atlantic Ocean. It covers 27,925 square miles. The sale of a piece land by native chiefs to English settlers in 1787 was the beginning of the colony of Sierra Leone. It was originally intended as a place for African settlers in London, and later as a settlement for African slaves. On 21 August 1896, the British declared the hinterland a British Protectorate. Sierra Leone gained independence in 1961. It became a Republic in 1971. Both private and public schools provide education. The current education system is 6-3-4-4, which is six years primary school, three years Junior Secondary School and four year Senior Secondary School. There are also four years of tertiary/higher educational opportunities. Non-formal education is also available.
CONCEPT OF EDUCATION
Education can be understood as instruction in the classroom or laboratory, workshop, or domestic science room. It consists primarily in the teaching of information and skills, as well as the acquisition by students. Schooling has a wider meaning than just instruction. This refers to all that happens within the school as part the pupil’s daily life. This includes the relationships between teachers and pupils, as well as pupils and teachers. J. S. Mill (1931), stated that education is anything that helps shape the human person. Implicitly, education is lifelong and universal. It is the sum of all influences that make a person who he is from birth to death. It encompasses our home, our neighbors, as well as the street.
The educator may plan and conduct education to impart certain knowledge, skills and behaviors to the learner. It is partly the learner’s response to the environment. Education is centered on three main points: the person/person to whom the educator’s influence is applied; the community or society to which he belongs; as well as the context in which each individual and society are interacting. Humans are social creatures. He grows as a person by the influence of personality on his personality. Even for his most basic needs, he relies on the support and cooperation of others. The society and the mutual support and enrichment that it offers civilization are impossible without them. Hobbes said that the human life is “solitary,” poor, nasty and brutish.
Human existence is characterized by tension between the pull from the past and the urge to move forward, between stability, change, tradition, and innovation. A circle of security is a place of stability, a set of relationships and established habits that allows for effective living. The same holds true for society. It is essential that society has a continuity of outlook and traditions to ensure its survival and protection against the disruptions of change. The basic traditions of society must control the pace and nature of change. Tradition is what gives a country its uniqueness and character. It is therefore crucial to preserve tradition.