By: Problyn J. Alpha
After fifty seven years of existence, Koidu Secondary School (KOSA) has celebrated it first foundation day in Koidu City, Kono District. The celebration took place at the above named school campus and it attracted the presence of many stakeholders in the district including the Vice President of the Republic of Sierra Leone Dr. Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh.
Kai Emmanuel Jimmy is the Principal at the Senior sector of KSS when delivery his welcome address he intimated all that the rationale behind the founder’s day celebration was to keep the pupils and some of the staff well abreast with the history of the school from its inception to date.
He added that the celebration of the founder’s day will be of great help to the pupils and some of the teachers as it will motivate them to be part of the history making of the school.
Principal Jimmy further maintained that since the establishment of the school to date the school has clocked full Fifty -seventy years and many people including the current Vice President of the Republic of Sierra Leone passed through the school.
At age fifty-seven. The school ‘s current enrollment for the 2022 and 2023 academic year in both the Junior and Senior sectors for boys one thousand and Fifty and girls eight hundred and sixty. In respect of the performance rate at the West African Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) for the 2021 and 2022 academic year, the school had about two hundred and fifty four candidates with Five credits and passes and above, and one hundred and thirty four candidates with four credits.
Talking about challenges the Principal said incomplete five classroom building and the fencing of the school, coupled with inequity library and laboratory for Science practical’s and a school hall by the family of the former principal A.D. Turay are under construction noting, the school field and sport equipment, limited number of class rooms to reduce congestion, lack of computers and internet connection at the school library among others are some of the challenges which the Principal reported to the Vice President.
On behalf of the Koidu Old Students association (KOSA) Moses Tumbay, Secretary General of KOSA when making his statement, stated that education’s purpose is to replace an empty mind with an open one.
Which, according to him was exactly what the Koidu Secondary School had done for them. He noted that the opportunity to learn and the possibility to do so is something one can do at any pointing time in life.
He further stated that the founder’s day celebration was strange to them because it was not part of the celebration calendar of the school and therefore warned the association to restrain their emotion and learn from the few mistakes made over the years.
In His statement, the Mayor Koidu New Sembehun City Council Matthew Komba Sam maintained that the school was established as a beacon of hope to thousands of students who are gearing towards academic glory.
Mayor Sam continued to encourage the current pupils to make good use of the free Quality Education introduced by the government of Sierra Leone to transform and re-shape the academic system in the Country.
“As the construction of the Kono University of Science and Technology is going on.; we will be glad to seeing the University has been filled with Sons and Daughters of the soil when the work shall have been completed”, KNSCC Mayor concluded. In his key note address at his alma-mater the Vice President of the Republic of Sierra Leone Dr. Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh foremost thanked and appreciated the organizers of the Foundation day for the opportunity to be part of the historic celebration and wish the teachers and pupils a happy fifty seven years celebration. VP Juldeh Jalloh further stated that all the successes he has achieved so far in Africa and the Western World was because of the foundation he got from the Koidu Secondary School, adding when he entered the school in the 80’s he had the opportunity to have leaders and principles that were there to support the educational advancement of the school.
He maintained that discipline was the criterion set for them to work hard to secure the grades needed to move higher.
Dr. Juldeh Jalloh thanked all the teachers during that generation for the leadership and moral uprightness they showed.
He said over the last decades, the educational sector in Sierra Leone has brutally collapsed under the weight of bad governance, neglect and lack of good leadership in most institutions across the country that is why we were writing our manifesto.
His Excellency Dr. Julius Maada Bio insisted that his Vision for this country is around human capacity development with a priority on education.
“Today as a government we are spending about 22% of our GDP on education”, V.P Jalloh stressed.
Talking on the challenges presented to him by a group of Old pupils of the aforesaid school, Dr. Jalloh said he has established a team of Old pupils including the former Principal Mr. Thomas which he was going to use to support the school and the football team.
According to him he has identified some of the projects they are going to start with and promised to complete the Five class room buildings under construction as soon as possible in addition to the above promised he also promised to donate a brand new Brass Band to the school.
Vice President Dr. Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh assured the management, staff and pupils of Koidu Secondary School of his continual support to pay back the good education and discipline he got from the school.
He however, urged pupils of his alma- mater to be serious with their academic work and deviate from exam malpractices because nobody can become a Minister , president or Vice President if he or she involves in examination malpractices.
Meanwhile, pledges and donations climaxed the ceremony.
