By: Thaimu Bai Sesay
During the commemoration of International Day of Education which was staged at the Attouga Mini-stadium on Tuesday the 24th of January 2022, Vice President Dr. Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh urged teachers, school pupils and other stakeholders in education to accord boisterous celebration to President Bio as the Educational Icon for Sierra Leone.
The theme for the International Day of Education is “To Invest in People, Prioritize Education”.
The occasion was graced by the Vice President of Sierra Leone, the Minister of Basic and Senior Secondary School Education and other great personalities.
In his keynote address, Vice President Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh commended school children, teachers and other stakeholders in education for recognizing the good work of President Julius Maada Bio in the field of Education.
He expressed that there is indeed nothing better to celebrate on this day than to celebrate a President who is enthusiastic to see every child goes to school and is still ready to invest in the welfare of teachers.
VP. Juldeh Jalloh intimated that the President has dedicated 22% of the National Budget to education through the provision of school fees, teaching and learning materials and school buses for school children.
He statistically went on to state that 10,878 professional teachers have been recruited, and by the end of 2023, the government is going to build 1,000 classrooms in a bid to maintain the quality of education.
Providing a 30% increment in the salary of teachers in 2019, the Vice President assured that in the next 3 years, the government would be increasing it by 45%.
As there have been so many improvements in education, especially in the areas of public examination and the growing number of school girls, the Vice President assured that the New Direction Government of Maada Bio would continue to invest in education.
The organizer of Patriotic Heads of Schools Sierra Leone, Ibrahim Kamara expressed that, the event is organized on this special day to appreciate the Government of President Bio and team for its tremendous efforts towards the Free Quality Education Project. As that was visible from the overcrowding number of school pupils, he said that not only Patriotic Heads of Schools but also school children, parents and teachers are equally happy about the Project.
One of the teachers from a school located in Calaba town who brought along 40 school children, elucidated that despite the difficulty of transportation they still made a way just to come and say thank you to the President and team for the Free Quality Education Program. As a staff teacher, he commended the President for the increment in teachers’ salaries and further affirmed to this medium that the FQE Project is working efficiently.
The occasion was climaxed with an indelible appreciation by school pupils, especially for the establishment and sustainability of the Free Quality Education Project under the astute leadership of President Bio.
