By Janet A. Sesay
Information Ministry and the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) has on Wednesday 20th December, 2023 engaged media stakeholders to focus on the enhancement of civic education in Sierra Leone.
The initiative aims at building robust national identity aligned with the goals of the Mid-Term Development Plan, 2024-2028.
While engaging the media, the Chief section of global citizenship and peace education in UNESCO, Cecilia Barbieri said their mission was to
evaluate current challenges and create opportunity in civic education and devise a road map for implementation in the country.
She said “this is in line with both the Sierra Leonean government and UNESCO overarching mission of nurturing peace and sustainable development in Sierra Leone.”
Barbieri further stated that the mission of UNESCO is to contribute to the building of a culture of peace, eradication of poverty, contribute to sustainable development and intercultural dialogue through education, the sciences, culture, communication and information.
She added that they have been educating and working with journalists in another countries teaching them about civic education and this time they are happy to engage with the media and civil society in Sierra Leone.
She said most people did not understand how to give out information during a particular period but believe that, with this engagement and other subsequent meeting held, a lot of media practitioners will benefit from this engagement.
She further stated that the civic education would also help the country grow in terms of infrastructural development.
After delivering her speech, media practitioners from various media houses offered their own contributions to the civic education discourse in the country.
The journalists said they were happy for such an engagement and prayed that the engagement would continue between them and UNESCO.
They also said that the civic education should also be done within staff of the Ministry of Information for them to know how to disseminate information to the public.