Sierra Leone

=== Education ===

{{Main|Education in Sierra Leone}}

[[File:Classroom at a seconday school in Pendembu Sierra Leone.jpg|thumb|left|A secondary school class in [[Pendembu]], [[Kailahun District]]]]

Education in Sierra Leone is legally required for all children for six years at [[primary education|primary level]] (Class P1-P6) and three years in junior secondary education,<ref>{{Cite book |last =Wang |first =Lianqin |year = 2007 |title =Education in Sierra Leone: Present Challenges, Future Opportunities |publisher=World Bank Publications |page =2|isbn = 978-0-8213-6868-8}}</ref> but a shortage of schools and teachers has made implementation impossible.<ref name="ilab">{{cite web |url=http://www.dol.gov/ilab/media/reports/iclp/tda2001/Sierra-leone.htm |title=Sierra Leone |work=2001 Findings on the Worst Forms of Child Labor |publisher=[[Bureau of International Labor Affairs]], [[U.S. Department of Labor]] |year=2002 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131102020941/http://www.dol.gov/ilab/media/reports/iclp/tda2001/Sierra-leone.htm |archive-date=2 November 2013}} ''This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the [[public domain]].''</ref> Two thirds of the adult population of the country are illiterate.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://hdrstats.undp.org/en/indicators/20.html |title=Human Development Report 2009 – Proportion of international migrant stocks residing in countries with high levels of human development (%) |publisher=Hdrstats.undp.org |access-date=22 August 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090606071107/http://hdrstats.undp.org/en/indicators/20.html |archive-date=6 June 2009}}</ref>

The [[Sierra Leone Civil War]] resulted in the destruction of 1,270 primary schools, and in 2001, 67% of all school-age children were out of school.<ref name="ilab"/> The situation has improved considerably since then with primary school enrolment doubling between 2001 and 2005 and the reconstruction of many schools since the end of the war.<ref>{{Cite book
 |last =Wang
 |first =Lianqin
 |year = 2007
 |title =Education in Sierra Leone: Present Challenges, Future Opportunities
 |publisher=World Bank Publications
 |page =1 and 3
 |isbn = 978-0-8213-6868-8
}}</ref> Students at primary schools are usually 6 to 12 years old, and in secondary schools 13 to 18. Primary education is free and [[Compulsory education|compulsory]] in government-sponsored [[Public school (government funded)|public schools]].

The country has three universities: [[Fourah Bay College]], founded in 1827 (the oldest university in West Africa),<ref>{{Cite book
 |editor=Jones-Parry, Rupert
 |title = Commonwealth Education Partnerships 2007
 |publisher=Nexus Strategic Partnerships Ltd
 |year = 2006
 |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=ID5XqeV4q10C&pg=PT326
 |isbn = 978-0-9549629-1-3
 |access-date = 17 June 2014}}</ref> University of Makeni (established initially in September 2005 as The Fatima Institute, the college was granted university status in August 2009, and assumed the name University of Makeni, or UNIMAK), and [[Njala University]], primarily located in [[Bo District]]. Njala University was established as the Njala Agricultural Experimental Station in 1910 and became a university in 2005.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia
 |date =July 2007
 |title =Njala University College (Nuc)
 |location =Sierra Leone
 |encyclopedia =Sierra Leone Encyclopedia
 |url =http://www.daco-sl.org/encyclopedia/1_gov/1_7njala.htm
 |archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20070311011418/http://www.daco-sl.org/encyclopedia/1_gov/1_7njala.htm
 |archive-date =11 March 2007
 |access-date =25 June 2008
 |url-status =dead
 |df =dmy-all
 }}</ref> Teacher training colleges and religious seminaries are found in many parts of the country.