MINISTER SACKEY HANDS OVER 3 SCHOOLS TO 2 CHIEFDOMS IN KONO

By Fohad Mbaimba Kallay

As party of government’s commitment to address overcrowding and enhance access to the Free Quality School Education drive, the Minister of Basic and Senior Secondary School Education (MBSSE), Conrald Sackey together with officials in the Free Quality School Education Secretariat has officially handed over three newly built school structures with WASH facilities to two chiefdoms, Gbense and Kamaa chiefdoms, respectively. This significant occasion was witnessed by traditional authorities, the Minister of MBSSE and team, contractor, school authorities, teachers, parents, pupils and the media, among others. The official handing over ceremony was held at the project locations of the communities of Boroma New Site in Gbense Chiefdom and Samequidu and Salia in Kamaa Chiefdoms respectively.

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Giving the background of the project, Jina Jusu Gobe, a staff attached at the Free and Quality School Education Project Secretariat pointed out that the project is a multi-donor dollars funded by the world Bank, EU, Irish Aid, and Foreign Common Wealth and Development Office under which the secretariat was provided two hundred and sixty one class rooms in fifty schools across the country with equipped modern school furniture which Kono would stand to benefits a total of ten new strides to provide additional classrooms block to schools across the country with the aim for children to access quality education as part of the inclusive education goal. He commended the contractor, Sahr Enjima Sessie of Yorma Engineering Construction and Services for the standard work done and for being the first contractor to complete his job before the stipulated time.

Speaking on behalf of government, the Minister of Basic and Senior Secondary School Education (MBSSE), Conrald Sackey, said that the Free Quality School Education project seeks to help ease the burden on parents of every child who has to struggle to pay school fees. He underscored the incredible landmark scored by the scheme, including education through inclusion.

Madam Finda Koroma, former ECOWAS Vice Chairperson and one of the pioneers of the project and the Chief Executive Officer of the Human Capital Development Officer, expressed heartfelt gratitude to President Bio’s government for considering the Kono District. Madam Koroma also extended thanks to the former minister of education, Dr. David M. Sengeh, now the Chief Minister, adding they started the project together.

Prince Patrick Ngebeh, the Deputy Director of MBSSE Kono, pointed out that parents need to support the education of their children. He added that teenage pregnancy has been one of the primary contributing factors that have hindered the progress of education of the girl child, particularly in the hard-to-reach communities, but that with such facilities, it would mitigate it” he said. He said that school-going children in those hard-to-reach communities before now had to walk far distance to access primary and secondary school education.

Augustine Sahr Sheku,, the Chairman Kono District Council thanked President Bio for the laudable human capital development drive in the country. He called on the pupils to make good use of the facilities. Local authorities, school leader’s parents, and pupils of the beneficiary communities applauded government and partners for alleviating their academic suffering and vowed to properly utilize the facilities for its intended purposes.