Section 25, 1 No. The Basic and Seniot Secotulary Edlzration Act 2023

(l) Pre-primary and primary education shall consist of- Pre-primaryand prihery edualtion. (a) fuU-time formal schooling which children receive for 9 years from about age 3 to t2 yqm: or O) a compreheDsive three-year programme for 'over-age' out-of-school leamers, offered by the Directorate of Non-Formal and Aduft Education aDd parhers in adult education. @) Pre-primary and primary schoolirg shall give children early smrctural cross cultural socialisation opportunities and an elementary intoduction to those fundamentals nec€ssary to pmduce individuals able, at a rudimentary level, to improve and enrich their own circumstances and to contribute meaningfully to life in the developmenl of their commtmiry. . (l) At the end of class 6, children itr government and 'Narionat govenment- Primary School assisted and Private schools shall "k 3:'#:i' the National Examination which shall be conducted by the West Exaglillarior Aticatr ExaminatioBs Council or odEr appropriate exmination body. (2) The resuh ofthe Nationa.l Primary School Exaninxion including each school's continuous assessmelt scores may be used for placemenl in junior secondary schools' (3) The lvtinisn-v may use a different national leaming assessment other than the National Primary School Examination to support t-dnsition and placement into jrmior secondary schoo.l; in which case, the National Primary Schoot Examination may be used only for systemJevel national assessments or replaced with other appropriate school-level national assessments' 30 No. Thc Basic and Sehior Secondory E&'catiot '4ct 1023 Junio{ Scaondary School. Z/. (l) Junior secondary schooling shall be for pupils who bave completed the six yeas of primary school or comprehensive noo-foi edrcation course in Sierra trone or its equivalent in other counEies. (2) The purpose ofjunior secondary school shall be to provide a broad base4 general educalion in preParation for senior a"corrdury school, technical and vocational education or for employm€nt or selfflPlolment. (3) Where a pupil mmes from a county whose grading system for enty into jmior secondary school is different from that oftle Sierra Leone sy"t€t& the Chafumel oflhe local council education comnittee shall scrutirise the pupil's grades or lranscriPt and strictly follow guidetines provided by the Ministry to determine the corre't placement ofthe PuPil' (4) Whoe t}e pupils previous schooling was in a place where the assessment system does not provide grades that could be used as an equivalent' the Chaiman shatl, following discussion withthe Deputl Director ofEducation in the districg grant approval ifhe is satisfied tbat the pupil is competent to undertake studies at tie junior secondary level. ($ A guidance counsellor ma1', where appropriate' be attached to a school or cluster of schools to - (a) suppon and advise on the psychological, academic and social development of individual Pr.Pils; @) help resotve minor conflicts between parties and interests in the school; and No The Basic and Senior Secondary Mu,cation Act 2023 31 (c) help pupils to resolve any other problems or concerns; (Q The Ministy may set certain subjecB to be eittr€r compulsory or optional. A. (l) The Basic Education Certificate Exarnination sball be Basic c.nducted by WestAtic&Examinatioos Councilorofi€r apprcpdaE E:fffl:l examidng body on behalf of the Minisfy, at tle end of the juaior Educarion. secondary schoo! course or programme. (2) The Basic Education Certificale Examination shall be taken by pupils from all govemm€nq government-assised and primte junior secondary schools that have completed 3 years of jrmior secondary school or its equivalent. (3) The continuous assessment score ofa candidate shall fonn part ofhis final gradbg. 9. (1) Senior secondary schooling shall be for pupils rf,to scDior have completed thejunior serondary school course in Sierra f".* ilillft or its equivalent in other counFies. (2) The Miaistry may determitre conditions for entry into government or governmeDt-assisted senior secondary school provided those conditions do not discriminate against pupils other dran on acadanic grounds. B) Where the Ministry has conditiorcd eofy on pupils having atlaircd c€rtain grades in exarninations administered in Sieqa Leone, the ChiefEducalion Offrcer may, on request, provide written approval for a pupil who has completed his studies outside Siera Leone to altend senior secondary school. Nu The BasiE and Seniq Secondary Mucation Act 2023 t2 (a) In giving q'lritt€n approval under subsection (3)' the Chief Education Officer shall consider the gading system' if any' employed in the comtry of fle pupil's previous schooling and be- ."ti"fi.a tut tl" prrpil has attained grades that are lhe equivalent of those determined bY the MinisrY. (, Where the pupils previous schooling was in a place *here the assessment system does not provide grades ftat could be used as an equivalen! the Chief Education Officer shall grant approval ifsatisfied that the puPil is competent to undertake snarlies at &e senior secondary level' (Q A senior secon<tary school may have a couselling depaftrent, r€sPoDsible to - (a) suPpon the psycbological, academic' and social development oflhe PuPils; (b) advise pupits on subject optiom and career pathways: (c) help r€solve minor conllicts between patties and interests in the school; (d) help pupils to resolve any other problerns or concerns: (e) help to ca-ordinate continuous assessment matters. (?) A counselling depar&nent may, where approPriate' serve a cluster of schools. No. The Bosic and Senior Secondary E&tcation Act 2023