By Amin Kef Sesay
The Minister of Basic and Senior Secondary Education, Dr. David Moinina Sengeh, plays a dual role as the country’s Minister of Basic and Senior Secondary Education and Chief Innovation Officer.
At this point in time when we have the corona virus in our midst such has driven the Government to find innovative ways to use technology to manage the health crisis, provide aid to families, and support remote learning for the country’s large public education system. This is where David Moinina Sengeh comes in.
He holds a PhD in biomedical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
In an interview with F&D’s Adam Behsudi, David Moinina Sengeh, discusses how the country has found new ways to meet the challenge of the past year.
Asked about Sierra Leone’s digital innovation strategy launched last year and the progress made, he responded that the Government is using the National Innovation and Digital Strategy to inform not just how it implements innovation across Government but also how it supports the medium-term national development plan—the road map that drives the country’s budget and sets priorities for Ministries, Departments and Agencies.
He continued that the objective of the Directorate of Science, Technology, and Innovation (DSTI) is to ensure Government delivery of the national development plan and design of an innovation ecosystem.
“At the core of this effort is total digitalization,” he stated adding that digital identity, a digital economy, and digital governance really drive what they do and how they get involved maintaining that with COVID-19, the strategy is going full speed ahead.
Questioned how specifically have technology and innovation helped respond to the pandemic he answered that it happens in a couple of ways—information dissemination for one.
He said an app and mobile phone solutions—text messaging—are available to citizens to access and share information, and for COVID testing and health self-assessment.
David revealed that an online travel portal allows them to track passengers who’ve been tested furthering how the country has a quarantine app to manage monitoring of service delivery to quarantine facilities and homes, and they have been synchronizing the districts’ health information systems.
He explained that their application programming interfaces, use the data they collect to build dashboards for decision makers.
“During lockdowns, drones monitored and evaluated compliance with stay-at-home orders. Anonymized call data records and surveys help us understand the effects of Government policies,” he disclosed.
Asked to explain how his two roles dovetail Chief Innovation Officer responded that in his role as Chief Innovation Officer he leads the DSTI, whose job is to spur and coordinate innovation in Government, that he advises the President on technology and innovation across the board.
He said education is the Government’s flagship program stating that some 22 percent of the country’s budget is devoted to education.
According to him, thirty percent of the population is receiving free public education continuing that they added 9 percent more students to the total in-school population between 2018 and 2020.
“The country’s 11,400 schools employ about 80,000 teachers,” he said also stating how a lot of the work they coordinate is school subsidies.
He informed that they pay tuition for every student in Government and Government-assisted school as well as exam fees for all students.
David Moinina Sengeh said providing effective and efficient education services including learning materials and school meal programs require data and digitalization.
He disclosed that as the lead on basic education, it helps that he is also Chief Innovation Officer stating that the two roles are deeply intertwined and are priorities of the Government.
“The DSTI leads the national COVID emergency response center’s ICT and data effort and I sit on the Presidential Task Force for COVID,” he intimated adding that on the education side, they set up an emergency education task force.
The Minister said whether it’s education or COVID, the messages are the same maintaining how technology plays a critical role.
Asked if the pandemic accelerated the education divide in Sierra Leone and what steps are being taken to address a growing divide, especially as it relates to girls and women he responded that in Sierra Leone they closed schools the day the country recorded its first COVID-19 case.
He said they then made plans to revamp the radio teaching program, which was initially launched during the 2014 Ebola crisis saying it kick-started one week after schools closed.
“During the COVID-19 pandemic school closures we expanded and extended its reach to nearly all districts by working with community radio stations and procuring new radio transmitters,” he stated explaining that when schools finally reopened in July 2020 for examination classes, they, as Government, brought back over 450,000 students for in-class learning and supported them via radio and online instruction.
He said in many parts of the country they provided physical materials and books along with teaching support.
“Recently, we launched an SMS and USSD accessible dictionary,” he revealed stating how many people take dictionaries for granted, but not everyone has access to one also maintaining that some 87 percent of the populace, however, do have mobile connectivity.
He said the pandemic has made them think about how to be more inclusive in their provision of services disclosing that they have a policy called radical inclusion, which means that they will ensure that every child—regardless of family origin, location, gender, or disability—is educated.
“To that point, we overturned a ban on pregnant girls going to school,” he stated adding how they saw during Ebola that there were a lot of girls who got pregnant and were excluded from school but said they don’t want to leave those girls out of school again this time.
Responding to how have the crisis spurred positive change in health care, social support, education, or other areas the Minister said as a Government they have expanded and revamped the social welfare base.
He stated that during the pandemic, they have provided lots of direct support—cash—to women in particular, including direct cash transfers in various informal sectors saying the support is ongoing.
People with disabilities and vulnerable groups, according to him, are getting new consideration and are being taken into account.
He said within the health care system, they have published information and expanded ways that facilities can make more beds available.
The Minister furthered that a new travel portal system is in place at airports and borders revealing how under the epidemic control system, they can connect with people entering the country by air and land stating that those are all investments in a more robust health system.
Asked what lessons from the pandemic have been most important for him as a policymaker and a father David Moinina Sengeh said when they build solutions in normal times, they are not usually leading with inclusion.
He said they are not thinking about everyone maintaining that in an emergency, solutions must include all people, because everyone is vulnerable.
The Minister said the key lesson is that solutions should work for everyone, not just in emergencies.
He said they haven’t always considered the labor and the loss of time that stay-at-home parents face when juggling childcare and other responsibilities stating how that period has helped us see that, and as a father, he have newfound appreciation for them.
Quizzed on what inspired to produce a music album and what he hopes to convey he said the album is called Love Notes to Salone.
“I think it’s really about my love for Salone and public service,” he responded disclosing how he listens to a lot of music, which inspires him, and he hopes to inspire others as well.
He said it’s music written for young people, for people who must have hope.
“Dear Salone” is how it opens, he stated, saying the song is a love letter to Sierra Leone that talks about the country’s history and its future.
He said it also talks about the love and power of young people and how it helps us think about our power in a really nice way.
“I say things in my songs that maybe people consider political, but it’s how I feel; it’s art. People can interpret it how they want. Once you create a work of art, it’s not really yours anymore,” he ended the interview.
