By: Thaimu Bai Sesay (FBC Intern)
With support from World Bank, EU, Irish Aid, FCD, GPE and Multi-Donor Agencies, The Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education MBSSE will be providing School Uniforms and shoes to schools with special needs and schools in extremely poor communities.
The handing over of these school materials was done in a press conference at the Ministry on Friday 23rd December 2022 to be distributed earlier in January 2023.
To entirely relieve the burden of school materials from parents, David Moinina Sengeh, Minister of Basic and Senior Secondary Education intimated that the project is geared towards complementing the government’s flagship program of Free Quality Education which provides free tuition, examination and school feeding.
The Minister expressed that as a government they would equally engross to cascade these school materials to all the 3 million pupils but due to the insufficient fund, they were only able to cater for the most vulnerable children, in schools with special needs. He said data was collected and they would be using that information in the distribution of these school materials.
Showing a logo on the uniforms that indicated “Made in Sierra Leone,” Mr. Sengeh reaffirmed that the uniforms are locally produced and they are durable, adding that they would last for over a year. He on behalf of the children commended the project sponsors and coordinators for a job well done. As someone very passionate about the happiness of school-going children, David Moinina assured that the President, Julius Maada Bio would be in the lead during the distribution of the school materials.
According to Ambrose T. Sesay, Project Coordinator for the Free Quality Education Project, the project targeted 70 schools for uniforms and 45 schools for shoes. Statistically, he said 14, 669 kids are going to benefit from the school uniforms and 6,324 kids from the shoes. He said the materials are going to be distributed nationwide to schools with special needs including the blind, deaf dumb and schools in extremely poor communities.
Mari Shojo, World Bank Task Team Leader expressed that she is very pleased to witness the accomplishment of the project and the handing over of the school materials. Madam Shojo, on behalf of the World Bank and the other partners, commended the MBSSE Team and the Government of Sierra Leone for their great work towards the education sector in the country.
