GENEVA / SIERRA LEONE SCHOOLS

Following an eight month enforced break from school, due to Ebola, around 1.8 million children in Sierra Leone are preparing to return to the classroom this week. UNTV CH

 

• Categories: News & Features / News Stories / Unifeed
• Video Length: 00:00:57
• Production Date: 14 April 2015
• Asset Language: Original
• MAMS Id: 1333996

Description

STORY: GENEVA / SIERRA LEONE SCHOOLS
TRT: 0:56
SOURCE: UNTV CH
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS
ASPECT RATIO: 16:9

DATELINE: 14.04.15. GENEVA, SWITZERLAND

Shotlist

1. Exterior of Palais des Nations

2. Wide shot of press briefing room

3. SOUNDBITE (English) – Christophe Boulierac, spokesperson, UNICEF: “As around 1.8 million children in Sierra Leone prepare to return to school this week after an eight month break due to Ebola, the Government of Sierra Leone, UNICEF and partners are working to ensure that children are safe through teacher training, hand-washing and regular temperature checks.”

4. Close up of journalist

5. SOUNDBITE (English) – Christophe Boulierac, spokesperson, UNICEF: “This marks a major step in the normalisation of life in Sierra Leone. It is important that all children get into school including those who were out of school before the Ebola outbreak. Education for all is a key part of the recovery process for the country.”

6. Close up of cameraman

7. Long shot of journalists

8. Wide shot of journalists

Storyline

Following an eight month enforced break from school, due to Ebola, around 1.8 million children in Sierra Leone are preparing to return to the classroom this week.

The United Nations Children's Fund, UNICEF, says that it is working with the government of the country to ensure that children are safe as they resume their lessons, through training teachers, encouraging them to wash their hands often and to have regular temperature checks.

Christophe Boulierac, spokesperson for UNICEF, says that the return school marks a major step in Sierra Leone returning to life before the outbreak: “It is important that all children get into school including those who were out of school before the Ebola outbreak. Education for all is a key part of the recovery process for the country.”

To prepare for the reopening of schools, UNICEF workers in Sierra Leone have helped to set up training for 9,000 teachers in preventing the spread of Ebola, how to follow safety guidelines and what’s needed in terms of psycho-social support. UNICEF is also supplying 24,300 hand-washing stations, enough for three in every school, as well as cleaning equipment to prepare school buildings.

Sierra Leone’s Ministry of Education, Science and Technology expects all schools in the country – more than 8,000 - will eventually reopen, and is hopeful that the curriculum for the current academic year can still be covered. A small number of junior secondary schools have been open since 24th March for junior secondary school examinations.

Since October 2014, UNICEF has supported the government in running daily emergency radio education programmes to allow children to continue learning at home during the Ebola crisis.

Cases of Ebola continue to be reported in Sierra Leone but are well down from levels seen at the end of 2014.