By: Joseph A. Bangali – Senior Reporter
To compliment the flagship program of His Excellency president Bio, the Free Quality Education Edunations opens brand new JSS and SSS edifice in Rokassa village in Masimra chiefdom, Portloko District.
Edunations is a nongovernmental organization founded in 2005 by a group of American missionaries and philanthropists headed by Dean Weaver constructed the Hope Academy Junior and Senior Secondary School out of love for the mostly orphaned and underprivileged children living in this community. It all started immediately after the end of the war in Sierra Leone when a large number of orphans and displaced children were flown to Senegal and later brought to Conakry in Guinea. Mr. Weaver and his friends could only adopt two of these children at the time. However, they decided that since they could not adopt all the children, they should at least create an enabling environment wherein they would be able to acquire quality education that would give them a better future. They therefore decided to set up a school where all children living in these remote and deprived areas of the country will be educated from kindergarten to senior secondary for absolutely free. Edunations is the only organization in Sierra Leone that provides a high quality education including books, school uniforms, medical care and school feeding at absolutely no cost to parents. Boarding facilities are also provided and parents and guardians are asked to pay a very minimal amount for feeding.
The current president of Edunations Sierra Leone is the unassuming and soft spoken Dr. Samuel Saidu Sesay who has been at the helm of affairs since the inception of this wonderful organization. In a brief interview with Dr. Sesay he informed that Edunations has constructed 15 schools in five districts in Northern Sierra Leone namely, Portloko, Bombali, Tonkolili, Karene and Koinadudu districts. They currently have a total enrollment of 2880 pupils all of which attend at no cost to their parents boarding hostel
or guardians, 127 teachers all trained and qualified, majority of whom are graduates including a masters degree holder and 2 HTC holders. However only 7 of these teachers have been approved by government. This according to Dr. Sesay poses a huge challenge for them but is thankful that throughout the years they have been able to retain the teachers by providing them with attractive salaries and other benefits. Edunations has also been in full compliance with all government regulations including paying NASSIT benefits for all their staff. This is definitely a very huge compliment to the Free Quality Education initiative.
This wonderful edifice in this very remote part of Sierra Leone was officially opened by no less a person than the able and dynamic Deputy Minister of Basic and Senior Secondary Education Madam Emily Kadiatu Gogra who could not contain her excitement at seeing such progress being made towards education in one of the most remote and deprived communities in Sierra Leone. She further expressed her delight at the calibre of teachers making the sacrifice to leave big towns and cities to teach these children. She promised a close collaboration between Edunations and her ministry for more government support. She thanked the board headed by Revd Scott graham from the USA for their tremendous contribution to the Sierra Leonean society at large. That disabled and female students are given the proper care and attention was commended by the Minister. After cutting the ribbon to mark the school officially opened, she also cut the ribbon to open the newly constructed boarding hostels for both boys and girls. She informed that the MBSSE will soon embark on agriculture projects to complement the school feeding program. It is worth noting also that the government is presently assisting 8 of the schools and 2 of the schools have been included in the school feeding program. Several other speakers expressed similar sentiments by praising such a wonderful venture.
This wonderful occasion was graced by lots of dignitaries including the aspiring national deputy secretary general of the SLPP Commissioner Robert kondema Kargbo, Professor MY Kargbo, Principal of the Civil Service Training College and Director of the Kampala Farm Project, representatives from line ministries and members of the District Council.
