Implementing Educational Innovation in the Third World a West African Experience

This study examined the implementation process of a new teacher training program in Sierra Leone. The project was meant as an experiment in solving some of the national and sectoral problems facing the country, by training primary school teachers for rural areas -- the "Bunumbu Project". Case study methodology was used in collecting data. Included were observations in pilot schools and the college; related project documents; interviews with project designers, administrators, college authorities, tutors, community people, and past and present students. Data was presented in qualitative form, and examined in the light of three questions: To what degree was the project implemented; were project objectives achieved; and what impact did the project have on the community within a 20-mile radius of the college. This study details the conclusions of the analysis.