Sierra Leone schools re-open after Ebola closed for 9 months

FREETOWN, Sierra Leone (AP) — Children in Sierra Leone are returning to schools after the Ebola outbreak forced closures about nine months ago.

The government and U.N. children's agency said more than 8,000 schools will start reopening on Tuesday, and about 1.8 million children will eventually attend.

UNICEF representative in Sierra Leone Roeland Monasch said Tuesday that this is a major step toward the normalization of life in Sierra Leone and that education is a key part of recovery.

Sierra Leone's Ministry of Education, Science and Technology said it hopes that the year's academic curriculum can still be covered.

UNICEF Sierra Leone says it has facilitated the training of 9,000 teachers in Ebola prevention, safety guidelines and psycho-social support.

The Ebola crisis is estimated to have infected more than 25,500 people and killed 10,587.